Che Sarà, Sarà
by Hari-Aisu
Summary: One-Shots No. 50 - Certain; Predestined; Inescapable; Unavoidable; Inevitable: Incapable of being prevented or evaded. Excerpt from Chapter: Yes, things had been destined to be a runaround for the both of them from the start. LxLight
1. Fated

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

1. _Fated: Decreed, or marked by fate._

* * *

Darkness invaded every orifice of the cold room as the sound of tapping keys and jingling chain links cut through the now awkward silence. Warm brown eyes widened in shock as Yagami Raito continued to stare at the insomniac detective beside him in their bed.

'What the _Hell _just _happened_?!' Thought the young genius in complete and utter shock.

The sound of keys being tapped rapidly stopped once again as L turned to look (stare) at the college student beside him. "What's the matter, Raito-kun?"

Raito blinked once, then twice. "You just kissed me, Ryuuzaki." Raito whispered hesitatingly.

"Yes." Replied L, matter of factly. Obsidian eyes continued to stare emptily at the boy beside him. Raito blinked once again before finally coming out of his kiss-induced stupor.

"What do you mean, YES? You don't just... and I... "Raito paused himself mid-rant and just gaped at the detective in confusion before shutting his mouth and clenching his fists in silent rage.

"And why, may I ask, did you just suddenly decide to kiss me, Ryuuzaki?" Raito whispered harshly, his lips trembling slightly. Trembling from anger that is.

L simply blinked back at the boy before lifting his hand and placing his thumb directly on his lips. Shaggy black hair slid to the side as L's head tilted just so in concentration. "Is that not what one does before their lover goes to sleep? Perhaps I have misheard-"

"Ryuuzaki!" Raito interrupted quite suddenly. Pale cheeks were now flushed bright magenta as Raito's eyebrow twitched continuously. "So you decided to plant one on me now, while the cameras are recording our every action and word? What if Watari watches this footage? Or worse, what if my **dad **manages to see this!? Oh God... this is going to take a lot of explaining if my father catches wind of this recording!"

A quirky smile suddenly appeared on L's face as Raito rambled on and on about how his family would probably disown him and his reputation would be tarnished...

Blah, blah, blah was all L really heard anyway. "Raito-kun." L said once. The boy still continued on with his rant as if L had said nothing at all. "Raito-kun." L said once more. Still the same response. The detective sighed in irritation before taking matters into his own hands.

"Raito." Raito stopped mid-sentence as L climbed on of the boy and sat directly on top of his lap. "You do realize that I am the only one who watches these feeds, correct?"

Raito once again blinked in stupor as L then began to trail a hand up his chest and thread it through his hair. "I think I like Raito-kun better when he is not speaking."

Before Raito could even form an angry retort, L swept down and captured the boy's lips in another kiss, this one much more heated than the last.

"And even if they did see, Raito-kun," began L as he pulled away from his lover's lips to catch his breath, "it would not be a problem."

"And why do you say that, L?" Raito questioned challengingly. He licked his lips with a quick swipe of his tongue and tried to control his now erratic breathing. L was sure he'd never seen a more beautiful sight.

"Quite simple, Raito-kun." L smirked as he began to tug on the shirt separating his hand from Raito's heated skin. "I'm sure it wouldn't be so difficult to prove to the others that we are simply meant to be."

* * *

Yes, I have fallen into the DN/LxLight trap. God, this anime is addicting. I plan for this to be a series of random AU one-shots. So far, I've got ten down (O.O gah) and plan to write more, so don't expect the same thing over and over again. ConCrit would be nice, but not required for updates. I'm really just trying to purge these ideas out of my head.


	2. Maudlin

* * *

Title: **_Che Sarà, Sarà_**

_2. Maudlin: Drunk enough to be silly._

* * *

"RAITO!!" Cried a flushed Amane Misa. Raito cringed in distaste as a pair of arms were suddenly attached to his body. Giggles kept escaping the blonde's lips as Raito continuously tried to detach the giddy goth from his person, but to no avail.

"What do you want, Misa?" Sighed Raito in resignation. He could already tell that whatever that was going to come out of her mouth was not going to be pleasant... for him, anyway.

"Guess who's having a party tonight!" Raito rolled his eyes as Misa continued to giggle manically.

"Gee, who could it be?" Came Raito's sarcastic retort. "Not the crazy old lady down the street with 14 cats, right?"

"No, silly!" Exclaimed Misa. Raito sighed once again as the comment bounced right off the girl. "Me, of course!"

"Really? Who would have guessed." Raito dead panned as he rolled his cinnamon eyes in exasperation. "Well, that's good for you, I guess."

Misa pouted for a moment before her signature smile was pasted back in its place. "And guess who's invited..."

"Not me." Raito replied before finally getting the she-devil's arms off of him and striding forward.

'Just a few more steps to freedom.' Cried Raito's mind before...

CRASH!

Misa threw herself on the poor college student, grinning evilly the whole time. "Come on, Raito-_chan. _You know, I also know for a fact that Ryuzaki-san is even going to be there..." The last bit was said with a small amount of overt suggestiveness as Raito's cheeks turned a crimson red at the thought of the famous Professor.

"So what? Guy's a pompous ass, so that's even more incentive not to go." Raito whispered uncomfortably as he struggled to get up. 'Geez, where does this girl get her grip from?!'

Misa looked down at Raito, her eyes alight with skepticism and just a tinge of annoyance. "Raito, c'mon! I know you've had a crush on this guy for like... ever!"

"Not so loud, Misa!" Whispered Raito harshly. People were actually starting to stare! "And get off, already!"

"Rai-chan is so bossy! I'll get off Raito is he agrees to come to my party!" Mahogany eyes glared down at the boy beneath them as Raito glared right back.

"And why should I?"

Misa grinned evilly.

* * *

"What am I doing here?" whispered a seemingly calm looking Yagami Raito as he (stylishly, of course) watched the random college students (and professors) get stupidly drunk from his corner. A feeling of disgust crawled in his chest as he just stared at his surroundings in abhorrence.

Loud Music: Check

Alcohol: Check

Drugs: Double Check

Public Displays of Sex: Check, check and check!

'How does this girl manage to drag me to these things?' An image of Misa making a scene outside his dorm room not even an hour before came back to him unbiddenly as Raito shivered involuntarily. 'That's how.'

Raito continued to dreamily stare out at the stupid people, not even noticing when a shadow crept into his personal space...

"I'm surprised your not charming your way around the party, Yagami-kun." A strong baritone voice shook Raito from his trance as he finally looked to his right side. A familiar mop of dark hair shading panda-like eyes came into view as the customary white-tee-shirt/baggy-jeans combo hung off the owners body. Raito turned away almost immediately to hide his flushed cheeks.

"WHOOOOOOOO!! Class of 08', baby! Yeah!" A very naked man suddenly ran past the pair before Raito could form a response. Raito blinked before glancing back at the man next to him.

As always, Ryuzaki didn't even seem to be affected and simply stared at Raito, waiting for him to speak.

"Just isn't my scene, is all, Ryuzaki-san." The youthful looking professor suddenly smiled eerily as Raito tried not to fidget in discomfort in front of the old man. Ryuzaki was the only person that Raito knew of that could make him feel as if he were a child. And if that wasn't enough, that smile simply gave the young genius the creeps. Almost as if Ryuzaki knew something Raito didn't know, and that wasn't acceptable, since Raito knew almost everything there was to know anyway. "And what about you, Ryuzaki-san? This just doesn't seem to be your type of hang out, either."

Ryuzaki just continued to smile as he settled in beside Raito. "No... but we all have our reasons for doing the things we do, Yagami-kun."

Raito blushed handsomely at the almost flirty response before turning away in embarrassment once again.

Cries of excitement and drunkenness hung in the air around them as they both stared on at the party from their own personal corner.

* * *

Aw... I think I like this universe. You'll probably see this AU again, I think I grew attached to it while writing it... unintentionally of course. Can you imagine it: Prof!L and Student!Raito? Lol!


	3. Objurgation

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

3. _Objurgation: A harsh rebuke._

* * *

(Expect OOC-ness ABOUNDS in this chapter. 'Nough said)

* * *

Cinnamon brown eyes harshly met obsidian black as a pair of hand cuffed men continued to glare angrily at the other…

Or in this case, one glared angrily while the other simply stared back rather vacantly.

"Now gentleman, I'm sure there's a more civilized way to resolve this without resorting to-"

"Gah!" Cried out Raito as he tried to block a kick aimed directly for his midsection.

"Violence." Ended Matsuda Touta rather lamely (As lamely as always, anyways).

Yagami Soichirou simply shook his head in exasperation as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. The other members of the task force stared at the scene in absolute boredom.

This was starting to become a little _too _routine.

"Alright, alright!" Yelled the elder Yagami over the outrageous tousle. "This is getting to be outright annoying! Both of you, sit down now!"

Both men stopped their impromptu fight and glanced back at Raito's father in shock. L stared at Soichirou (who we shall now refer to as Yagami-san) sullenly, but Yagami-san cut the obscure detective before he could open his mouth.

"I said NOW!"

Both men sat down on the couch quickly and without question.

"These physical altercations are getting ridiculous boys, and quite frankly, boring and tedious." Barked Yagami-san. The severe look on his face did not get through to L, as the detective seemed to space out for a moment.

"Don't boring and tedious mean the same thing?" L asked without thinking, not sure why Raito's father was suddenly being so strict. It wasn't like L was trying to kill the 17-year-old.

Just... beat him up a little.

Or a lot.

Same difference.

The same of course couldn't be said of the policeman's son.

Raito rectified the suddenly dicy situation by elbowing the insomniac in the (non-existent) gut and simply gave him his "Shut the fuck up if you don't want to die" glare. L blinked in confusion but got the hint once he looked at the elder Yagami's face.

Not pretty.

"Don't. Be. A **smart-ass**. Now, because these fights are getting to be so predictable, we've all agreed on a different method for the both of you to get all that pent up aggression **out**." Yagami-san finished the sentence with a bit of a smirk, which immediately put Raito out on his guard.

"What do you have in mind?" L asked without hesitation. Raito felt his eye twitch involuntarily as he felt the beginnings of a headache develop in his temples. 'I'm getting a bad feeling about this…' he thought absently.

The niggling feeling in the back of Raito's head went up tenfold once he looked around the room and saw that the rest of the task force had taken up the same expression as his father. Only one word kept resonating in the young genius's mind as the predatory grins unsettled him even further.

"Damn."

* * *

"So… why are we in the garage, again? And why are you all gathered around both Raito-kun and I in such a way? Can't we do this upstairs, with more personal boundaries in place?" Raito covered his face with his hand and shook his head in exasperation whilst L continued to ask questions at a rapid pace. Stupid ones, at that.

He just knew this was a bad idea.

"This is a trash talking-yo momma showdown, L. This is the location chosen, and that is the way it must stay," Matsuda stated quite seriously. Apparently, he was the official 'judge' of their 'battle.'

Raito could only hope this ended quickly, but L was still a bit confused. "What?"

Not one person said a thing as they stared at Raito expectantly. The boy sighed in annoyance as he then looked at L in boredom. Raito almost pitied him…

Almost.

"L, yo momma is like a shotgun… two cocks and she blows." Raito crossed his arms and quirked his eyebrow as L blinked in response.

"Raito-kun said what now?" L's normally blank disposition contorted into unfamiliar confusion as the rest of the task force responded with a chorus of "Ohhh's."

Matsuda nodded in satisfaction as everyone then turned to stare at L. "Err…." Raito just decided to put the poor man out of his misery.

"My turn again, then? L, yo momma is so fat, when she saw a yellow bus full of white kids, she ran after it screaming, 'Stop that Twinkie!'" Another set of approving murmurs rumbled around the two boys as Raito smirked triumphantly. L's dark eyes narrowed into a glare as the other boy's smug expression widened that much more. L was not one to be bowled over, especially by some megalomaniac with a God complex.

"Oh, yeah? Well yo momma is so stupid, she tried to put M&M candies in alphabetical order!" L snapped back at Raito, his vacant eyes widening ever-so-slightly. Raito's eye twitched in irritation before the sinister gleam of malevolence sparkled in his eyes.

"Yo momma so fat, she stepped on a scale and all it said was, 'To be continued…'" L pouted as a larger order of "Oh's!" with some random chuckling reverberated throughout the walls of the underground garage.

After that, there was only one thought in L's mind as his own eye twitched.

Bitch, it was on!

* * *

Yagami-san sighed once again as the task force (or what was left of it) sat down on the dirty garage floor, all wondering when the _hell _this would end so they could just announce a freaking winner already! Obviously, Raito and L could not make that easy.

"How long has it been, now?" Questioned Matsuda (of course).

"Five and a half hours and counting." Muttered an exceptionally cranky Aizawa. "Figures they'd even take something as funny like this to the next level!"

"Well, yo momma so stupid, she studied for a damn drug test!"

"Yo momma so fat, when she went out of the house in a red dress, everyone yelled, 'Hey, KOOL-AID!'"

"Anybody wanna go play some Yahtzee?" Asked Matsuda tiredly. Everyone murmured there own agreement as they crept out of the garage, leaving both Raito and L by themselves.

"…"

"…"

Raito looked around the garage quickly before directing his attention back to L. "Damn, it took them long enough! Are they really gone, Ryuuzaki?"

L glanced around also before he nodded anxiously. A devious smirk spread on the older man's face as he took a step toward the teen.

"What shall we do next, Raito-kun?"

* * *

Uh… I'd rather you not ask where this came from. I couldn't even write this one-shot with a straight look on my face. Oh dearie…


	4. Vent

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

4. _Vent: A slit in a garment, especially in the lower part of the seam. _

* * *

"God Fucking Damn it, Ryuuzaki!" Yagami Raito cried out in vain as both genius and detective went tumbling to the ground. A pair of wide ebony eyes blinked in confusion as they stared down at the boy they were now straddling. Raito's cheeks flushed crimson in anger as L simply gazed at him from his spot on Raito's lap, absently chewing on his uncuffed hand's thumb.

There was a reason for that.

"I told you not to just tug on it, L! What if it just breaks off?!" L smiled so suddenly after the comment was made, that it actually stunned Raito into silence... until he thought back on what he, himself just said. His cheeks then turned red for a completely different reason. "L, you stupid hentai! Stop thinking like that!"

L then looked innocently at Raito as the embarrassed youth shifted uncomfortably beneath him. Wide brown eyes twitched irratically as the detective above the younger genius continued to roughly tug on his handcuffed hand. "L, I said stop it!"

"But Raito-kun, if I don't pull on it, how do you expect to get off?" L questioned with his blaringly false niavety. Raito growled dangerously as he clenched his jaw in irritation. "Don't you mean get _it_ off, Ryuuzaki?"

L smirked down at the boy trapped underneath him and shifted his hips just so. "Did I, Raito-kun?" A slightly paniced look invaded Raito's face as his heart began to pound loudly in his chest. L's hand trailed down slightly as Raito yelped in surprise only to-

"Gah!"

RRRRRIIIIIIIPPPPP!!

Raito gaped down at the now huge tear at the seam of his brand new shirt. Raito's right eye began to twitch unconciously as L stared blankly at the shirt before opening his mouth after a couple moments of awkard silence.

"Oops."

"I'll show you, 'Oops," you overgrown panda!" bellowed Raito as he suddenly lunged for L. L quickly ducked before tripping the poor boy over his own feet and pinning him to the floor once again.

"I think I very much like Raito-kun in this position." L smiled patronizingly at the boy beneath him. Raito rolled his eyes in response to the glib statement and proceded to simply stare up at the detective.

"Are you going to get off me anytime soon?" Raito whispered harshly. L blinked down at him before smiling once again, this one much more predatory than the last.

"No."

* * *

See, I can write drabbles that slightly make sense, but only slightly. Here's a lil' something to tide you over 'til you want more. XD


	5. Line

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

5. _Line: Cord, Rope, Wire: a length of material used in measuring and leveling. _

* * *

"What the Hell are you doing, L?!" Dark eyes blinked innocently as they reflexively looked up at the speaker in front of them. The handsome visage of Yagami Raito covered from head to toe in brightly colored paint caught the young man's attention almost immediately. "Measuring the length of the wall…?" Came the almost hesitant statement turned into a question.

"Measuring the wall?" Raito asked skeptically.

"Yes." Replied L.

"And just how are you measuring the wall… while both staring directly at my ass and having nothing to measure _with_, L?" Sniped the younger of the two artists. Hands positioned themselves on narrow hips as L's attention once again drifted downward…

"L Lawliet!" Came the sharp cry. The 24 year olds patented _Glare of Doom_ ™ rested on his almost heavenly face as L tried to explain himself without looking like an extremely one-minded pervert.

"Err… Multitasking and wall-telepathy?"

A huff escaped the younger artist's lips as he dramatically rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the undecorated part of the wall in their brand spanking new apartment. Who knew moving in together would result in a perpetually horny L?

"Do you want to finish this wall, or not?" questioned Raito. The measuring and drawing had been done for quite awhile (whether L wanted to use it for an excuse, or not!) and the painting was about halfway done… that is, before his boyfriend decided to space out on him and daydream about his ass (which was appealing, but still…).

"Can't we just finish it late, Rai-chan?" Came a voice suspiciously close to Raito's person. Raito turned around suddenly before he was abruptly pinned to the unpainted part of the wall and pressed close against his boyfriend. "We'll just take a little break…"

A light kiss was pressed against the pulse of Raito's neck as a moan threatened to release itself from his lips. Eyes fluttered slightly as more pressure was applied to the same spot and L began to gently suckle from the boy's neck. Raito pushed the older male off of him as L pouted from being pulled away from the delightfully warm body. "L, we have to finish this by tonight. My parents and little sister are coming over tomorrow morning, remember?"

L pouted before nodding and moving back even further from his tempting lover. Raito sighed in annoyance as he moved towards the direction of their kitchen. "C'mon babe, I think there's still some left over cake from last night in the fridge."

L's countenance brightened almost immediately as he looked at Raito's retreating back, and smiled even wider as his gaze began to travel even lower…

"And stop 'measuring the damn wall,' Lawliet!"

* * *

Just another shortie-short. Poor Rai-chan, he continually gets stuck with a horny L. But we all now he's a big pervert no matter what, anyways...


	6. Bewail

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

6. _Bewail: Lament. (Synonyms: Deplore, bemoan, grieve, moan, weep)

* * *

_

"It isn't supposed to end this way, Raito-kun." Slightly watery black eyes stared sullenly at the vacant body underneath the sterile hospital sheets. The whisper echoed off the hospital walls as beeps from the various machines continued to overshadow the silence.

A forlorn nurse quietly entered the room and checked the unconscious boy's vitals, not even daring to look directly at the man hunched beside him. Fingers clenched tightly at the hand they were holding onto, the tense atmosphere slowly suffocating the young Japanese nurse. She quickly scurried out of the room, not even pausing to say hello to the older, depressed man.

The resident's at the hospital learned early on that disturbing him in the slightest was not a smart thing to do.

As the door clicked shut, L Lawliet slowly exhaled, still not accustomed to other people being around him. Forced solitary confinement did little wonders for ones social skills. L blinked sluggishly as his gaze continued to stay on the 24 year old young man beside him. A foreign emotion began to bubble up in L's chest as the horrible feeling began to overcome his resolve.

"We weren't supposed to be one of these couples, Raito-kun. We weren't... we weren't meant for this kind of regret."

A shaky sigh escaped the man's lips as he sat down on the hospital bed in his signature position. The bed shifted slightly, but ceased movement after a moment. 'Raito-kun is usually such a mover when he sleeps...' L thought with a sad smile.The smile slowly disintegrated into a grimace as the cold hand he held tightly in his on reminded him just why his Raito-kun wasn't moving.

'Open your eyes, open your eyes, open your eyes!' L silently implored as the young man lay still beside him.

"Why won' t you open your eyes?" L shakily asked the prone body next to him. Silence answered him, as it always had for the past month. "One month, Raito-kun, and you still won't open your eyes..."

If L could catch the person that did this to his Raito, they'd be jailed and given the immediate death penalty ten times over.

"Ahem... L-san?" A rough tenor voice bounced around the room as L turned to face an older gentleman in a white lab coat.

"Oh... Dr. Kobayashi, I'm sorry. I didn't notice you there." The doctor looked sympathetically at the 30 year old man in front of him as L simply gazed blankly at the older man. Dr. Kobayashi was positive the only reason he was treated with even an ounce of this man's respect was because he was the one treating the younger patient, but he could understand that.

These two men had been through a lot.

The doctor gently let out a breath he'd been holding and continued to look at the man in the bed directly in the eyes. "It's been a month, L-san, and so far there's been no real change in brain activity in Yagami-san's condition."

L's eyebrow twitched as he caught wind of where the conversation was going. "And, Doctor? You and I both know very well that a person in a coma may wake at any time-"

"When there is brain activity present, yes, L-san. But so far, we've seen almost nothing at all except for random spurts of-." countered the doctor. All of a sudden, L's eyes lit up as the doctor's words popped out in his mind.

"But, you've seen _some _activity, right?" Dr. Kobayashi faltered for the briefest of moments before nodding hesitatingly. L's eyes narrowed as he tilted to the side and dangerously asked the important question. "I was told there was practically none at all. Why wasn't I informed of this sooner?"

The doctor shook his head and looked down on the floor. "It comes in small spurts, and even then, it isn't a whole lot. Just enough to catch our attention, really. We didn't want to tell you only to fill you with a false hope, L-san."

L shook his own head and stared determinedly up at the doctor. "He's fighting this, and that's all the proof I need to wait. He'll wake up soon."

The doctor gazed sadly at the younger man and silently left the room. 'Those poor boys. The chance of Yagami-san actually waking up is virtually non-existent...'

L continued to stare at the space Dr. Kobayashi inhabited for a few quiet moments before he turned back to the boy beside him. L turned his body and laid down on top of his unconscious lover.

"You'll wake up soon, Raito-kun, and I'll be beside you when you do. I have to believe that..."

* * *

Yeah, not all of these are going to be funny. Should I have given that warning earlier? Lets cry for L and Raito everyone. I may not give them a happy ending after all...


	7. Retinue

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

7. _Retinue: The body of attendants or followers of a distinguished person.

* * *

_

"WE LOVE YOU, RAITO!!" A gaggle of girls ran after the golden boy as he panted in extreme exhaustion. Running marathons, excelling at Tennis, keeping his body in top physical form, and it all came down to this;

Running away from crazy fan girls.

"Raito, please, we just want to talk to yooooouuuuuuu!" Cried one slightly attractive girl in the front of the mob. She seemed to be the leader in charge of the girl-craziness. "We promise not to be **too **rough, just in case!"

After that comment, Raito began to run even faster, as if the fires of Hell were licking away at his heels. 'Why me?!' Was the only thought resounding through the young college student's head as he reached an intersection between hallways. Raito looked around frantically, before he felt a sharp tug on his sleeve and stumbled back into the, now open and then shut closed, classroom.

Cinnamon eyes widened as the hysterical yells of college females filled the outside halls and instinctively ducked away from the locked door. Raito listened carefully to the chaos outside the relatively safe classroom…

"Where did he go? Did you see where he slipped off to?"

"Iie, it's like he just disappeared!"

"Awwww, but I just wanna cuddle with him! Come back, Rai-kun! Come back!"

Raito winced at the high pitched shrieks and sat patiently on the floor by the door. Muffled chuckles came from behind the young man's back, but Raito was still too high off his adrenaline rush to actually notice.

Ten excruciatingly long, torturous minutes later, the rumblings of anxious women had finally dispersed. Raito sighed in relief as he straightened out his body and tried to push back as many wrinkles from his rumpled clothes.

'Could this day get any worse!' Raito despairingly thought in his mind. And much like a cliché horror movie, things did get worse. A whole lot worse.

Full blown laughter suddenly caught the 21 year old's attention as he quite suddenly realized (quite dumbly, actually) that someone had _pulled_ him into this room, so therefore someone else was in the room _with_ him.

And from the fact that he recognized the interior of the classroom so well, Raito had a feeling that he did not want to turn around to see just who his savior was. In fact, the door was looking very tempting right now…

"Yagami-kun definitely has his fair share of unhinged admires, doesn't he?" Damn it all, Raito thought anxiously. The crazy psycho chicks were suddenly looking a hell of a lot more appealing. "Tell me, Yagami-kun, do you usually meet up with such a… lively assortment of people?"

More muffled chuckles resonated throughout the empty classroom as Raito quite suddenly turned around with a growl. He was not surprised to see his obnoxious professor in his regular baggy garb, staring back at him with his (eerie) smile in place. Normally, Raito would feel a bit unsettled by such an expression on the creepy professor's face, but he'd just gotten mobbed by a barrage of crazy women. Anybody would be just a bit frazzled by that point.

"They just ambushed me out of no where! Any sane person would fear for their life if a bunch of psychotic women suddenly chased them out of a library screaming about how they want to all have my baby!" Raito's eyes narrowed even further as the mirth returned to Ryuuzaki's face with a vengeance. Loud, awkward guffaws echoed with the room once more as Raito's face reddened in embarrassment.

'I'm just digging a deeper and deeper hole for myself, aren't I?"

Raito started fidgeting with his clutch case as the professor's laughs died down to chuckles and then evaporated completely. The young student chewed absently on his lip before taking a step back and turning towards the door. The now awkward silence stifled the room's atmosphere as a tangible cloud of discomfort floated above the two men.

Before Raito could reach for the knob, however, Ryuuzaki's voice cut through the silence. "Aren't you going to thank me?"

Raito blinked before turning his head back to the professor. "I did save you from them, after all. It is rude to not at least show your gratitude in some way, Yagami-kun. Surely you know that?"

Raito rolled his mahogany eyes in annoyance and huffed out a breath of air. "Fine, thank you. Happy?"

Ryuuzaki blinked blankly before answering. "No."

"Eh?" Raito now gazed at the world renowned teacher in confusion as a smirk covered his façade. "What do you mean, 'no'? You wanted a thank you, and I gave you a thank you. What else could you possibly want?"

"I never said I wanted a thank you, Yagami-kun, only that it was polite to give one after someone does you a favor. However, if Yagami-kun wishes to know what will make me happy…" Ryuuzaki paused mid-sentence and stared a Raito intensely. Raito felt uncomfortably scrutinized as Ryuuzaki's eyes continued to roam over the contours of his face.

"Coffee."

"Excuse me?" Raito stared confusedly at the professor. He wasn't asking for what he thought he was asking for…

"I would like to have coffee with Yagami-kun. It seems appropriate for the occasion, correct? I save you from fan girls, and you go out with me for coffee." Raito blinked in surprise before schooling his expression into one of coolness.

'I fail to see how fan girls equal coffee…' Raito thought absently. He completely refused to admit to the harsh pounding in his chest.

'Date, date, date, date, date, oh god, this is a date…'

"Whatever you say, Ryuuzaki-san."

Ryuuzaki's creepy smile suddenly didn't seem so creepy after that, and Raito didn't quite know why.

* * *

Yay! Prof!L and Student!Raito return! No more angst-ing over the last sad one-shot! Rejoice in the cuteness of this couple. Hmm... now what to plan for them next. The actual date, perhaps?


	8. Underworld

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

8: _Underworld: The place of departed souls; Hades or Hell._

* * *

Raito's brown eyes shifted from side to side as the man next to him walked on quite calmly towards their chosen location. Jet black eyes stared emptily ahead as a million thoughts zoomed through the student's mind.

'What's going on? What does he want? Does this mean he _likes _me? Why the hell did he suggest this... this... _date_? And where are those crazy fan girls when you need them?!' Raito began jiggling his left hand in his pocket subconciously as Ryuuzaki's eyes slowly slid towards the young man beside him unnoticed.

Whether Raito knew it or not, he was not the only one pondering on the situation at hand.

'I wonder what he's thinking about? No doubt analyzing the 'dilemma' as a whole and trying to decipher just why I would like to spend some one-on-one time with him. Poor boy is so clueless...' Ryuuzaki smirked as he continued to watch the interesting specimen beside of him.

From the very first day Raito had steppped into his classroom, Ryuuzaki had been simply captivated by the fascinating boy. His handsome features had struck him at first glance, yes, but it was what was lurking beneath the angelic facade that had caught the young professor's attention. There was something about the Yagami boy that seemed to glow, as ridiculous as that sounded. Whether it had been the quick witted intelligence that so often matched his own or that idealistic, almost childish, view of the world around him that caused such an effervescent aura, Ryuuzaki would never know.

But he digressed.

Raito had stalled him for just the briefest of moments with just his appearance, but it had been enough.

"We're here." Came the suspiciously calm Raito. Ryuuzaki took in a small breath before nodding in acquiecsence and going inside the dim litted café. Ryuuzaki blinked as he took in the interior of the eatery and internally shuddered.

This suddenly got a hell of a lot more real.

"Where do you want to sit, Ryuuzaki-san?" Raito innocently asked.

'You can take the floor, and I'll most definitely take that lap...'

"Right here is fine, Yagami-kun." Ryuuzaki motioned towards a table by a rather large window before sitting down in his awkward way (up 40 percent!) and grabbing the menu in a rather meticulous manner. Raito sat down as well and began to fidget with his own menu while trying not to notice the obvious glances his _professor _sent his way.

After a couple minutes of uncomfortable (for Raito, anyway) silence, a waiter then came to the table and smiled winningly at Raito, dismissing Ryuuzaki completely. "Hello, sirs! How may I help you, today?" The waiter shifted a bit more towards Raito as the college student smiled unnervingly back at the waiter.

'Apparently, this happens a lot.' Thought the genius professor sourly. He narrowed his gaze at the waiter and waited for Raito to be done with his order before quickly starting on his own. "And I shall have two pieces of your strawberry cheesecake, three chocolate chip cookies, one scoop of strawberry sherbet and a cup of coffee; light and extra sweet."

Raito gave a wide-eyed smile at the sugar addicted professor as the waiter stopped staring a Raito long enough to grudgingly write down Ryuuzaki's selections. The waiter then politely excused himself from the table... while still staring at Raito the whole time.

Ryuuzaki simply rolled his eyes in distaste.

"So... is there something in particular you wished to discuss with me, Ryuuzaki-san? I doubt you just practically demanded we come here just so you could stare at me the whole time." Ryuuzaki internally winced. The question had come out awkwardly (or as awkward as Raito could make a question sound) and Ryuuzaki didn't want any sort of discomfort to cloud this (date) occasion. There was only one thing to rectify before he could pull out the patented Ryuuzaki-charm™.

"I do not think Yagami-kun has gotten the concept of this outting." Raito tilted his head cutely in confusion and stared at the older man, waiting for an explaination of some sort. "First, I would like Yagami-kun to do me a favor before he goes on his regular tangents."

Raito glared at Ryuuzaki in annoyance. "What do you want, then?" Ryuuzaki smiled at the younger man as the college student shifted in his seat. "I would like Yagami-kun to call me by my given name." Raito blushed cutely as his caramel-like eyes widened even further. The college student stared down at the table in embarrassment before raising his head in just the slightest. The boy nodded his acceptance hesitantly before opening his mouth to speak.

"I guess that means you can call me by my given name as well, Ryuu-I mean, Lawliet-san..." The blush on Raito's face intensified as the level of intimacy was raised between the student and his teacher.

Ryuuzaki (now known as Lawliet) smiled contently at the change of atmosphere.

This was more like it.

The (obnoxious) waiter returned with their food and coffee and left after a flirty smile was sent Raito's way. Raito outwardly grimaced at the other man's retreating back. "Great... another fan." murmured the young genius agitatingly.

Lawliet smirked in response as he continued to stare at Raito, while simaltaneously shoveling his mouth full of pastry. "Raito-kun isn't accepting anymore applications for his fan club?" the professor jokingly asked after a moment of silent eatting. Raito looked surprised as his name escaped the older man's lips, but quickly looked away to hide his open emotion.

Raito kept his gaze down at his coffee (black with no sugar, of course) and seemed to contemplate something for a second or two. The 21 year old then looked Lawliet straight in the eye, making the professor's resolve falter in just the slightest, and pulled his own mouth into a small smirk of its own. "I guess it depends who's applying."

Lawliet blinked in surprise at the unexpectedly coy response. A genuine smile lit up the older professor's face in satisfaction. "Would I be allowed an application, Raito-kun?"

"Depends on if you're serious, Lawliet-san. I only take earnest applicants." Raito replied with a small smile on his face.

Lawliet abruptly pushed his now, completely empty plates forward and quirked up his eyebrow. He wanted serious, huh? Lawliet stood up from his uncomfortable looking position and walked to the otherside of the table and placed himself directly in front of the younger man. Lawliet ignored the student's quizzical look and grabbed the Raito's chin before he could have the good grace to pull back. The 28 year old former prodigy stared into the boy's magnetic eyes before diving in for his lips.

Sacchirinely sweet flesh tickled the taste of Lawliet's own lips as the line between Heaven and Hell blurred over to the extreme.

'This has to be Hell,' Lawliet thought absently, 'To be so close, yet still so far...'

A muffled gasp was Raito's only response as Lawliet tilted his head slightly to put a bit more pressure on those luscious lips. He pulled back silently, ignoring the other patrons who were now staring at the scene in complete rapture. A pink coating seemed to perpetually paint themselves on the boy's cheeks as Lawliet pulled back completely, lest he not ravish the poor student in the café.

Just one taste of his lips, and he already wanted seconds.

"Well? Was that _serious_ enough for you?" Raito slowly licked his lips (so hot) as he stared blankly at the professor in front of him. Lawliet forced himself to sit back down, so as to not maul the 21 year old where he sat, and waited anxiously for any sort of response. Lawliet almost tilted over in his chair as a slow, sensual smile appeared over the young man's lips.

"You'd definitely be in, Lawliet."

Lawliet blinked as Raito suddenly called out for the check. A different waiter flusteredly came and recieved the money for the food (they had almost killed eachother on over who was going to pay, before just splitting the bill in half) before nervously clearing off the table. Both Raito and Lawliet stood up (or "hunched up" for Lawliet) and began to exit the café side by side. As they got outside, both turned to look at the eachother expectantly.

"Well... I have to get going, I guess." Raito began. "Thanks for saving me from the crazed fangirls, Ryuu-I mean, Lawliet." Lawliet smiled internally Raito dropped off the honorific from his name once again and shrugged off the thanks. He continued to stare at Raito with the eerie smile he knew unnerved him to no end. "I guess this goodbye?" Raito asked hesitantly.

Lawliet shook his head before taking a step closer to the younger man and quickly kissing the student's lips, not giving him enough time to either respond nor reject the affection.

"No, Raito, this is just 'See you later.'" Lawliet turned around and began walking in the opposite direction as Raito gently grazed his lips with his fingers. A small smile perched itself on his face as he turned and began to walk away as well.

'Well... that explains a lot.'

* * *

See... this wasn't even supposed to be the next one shot! That's how much I love you guys... ((sniffle)) I'm so caring! Love me! Sqwee! XD


	9. Giggle

Title: **_Che Sarà, Sarà_**

8. _Giggle: To laugh with repeated short catches of breath._

* * *

"I told you you couldn't do it, Lawli." Snorted a young Yagami Raito. The seven year old boy stared up at the fourteen year old as the L Lawliet's eye began to twitch in irritation. "Raito-chan should be quiet now."

Raito smiled innocently before clutching onto Lawliet's hand. The two had managed to get out (sneak out) of Whammy's long enough to enjoy a brief day out in the city, and those kind of times were hard to come by. Lawliet rolled his eyes before dragging the young boy over to where their tennis ball now lay.

The boys had somehow (because between the both of them, who knows) ended up at the park and were trying to gauge how far up they could throw the ball. It ended up becoming another menial competition between the two boys, as Lawliet had tried to throw the ball up higher than the tallest tree. He has fallen short by just the slightest amount. "I almost had it, though."

"Sure you did, Lawli." The seven year old smiled precociously at the teen as the older boy flushed slightly.

It was sad that Lawliet preferred a child's companionship to just about everyone else's, but when said child was also a super genius in disguise, Lawliet supposed exceptions could be made.

"Where would Raito-chan like to go next?" asked the slightly anorexic looking teen. Raito blinked cutely in response before delving into what looked like deep thought. Lawliet rolled his obsidian eyes once again as the younger genius played what he liked to call his little "cutesy" act. Raito knew damn well where he wanted to go, but liked to play up his innocent looking features to the fullest extent.

Quite frankly, the more cute Raito looked, the more manipulative he was bound to be.

Luckily, Lawliet saw past this and tapped his feet impatiently on the sidewalk they were now standing on. Raito, for just a split second, showed his true colors and glared at the 14 year old before schooling his expression into something more child-like.

"I would like to get some ice-cream. May we please go to the ice-cream parlor, Lawli?" Raito asked with faux politeness. A couple walking by them cooed their approval at Raito's antics, but for once Lawliet didn't comment on it.

'Mm… ice-cream…' Raito blinked awkwardly as he was violently pulled towards the direction of the nearest ice-cream shoppe.

'Do something nice for the guy, and he nearly rips your arm off!'

"Is that all you're having, Rai-chan?" Lawliet asked rather sloppily through his double Banana Split Sundae Surprise. Raito gave Lawliet a disgusted look before daintily taking a swipe of his own one scoop vanilla cone. "I'm fine, Lawli."

"Suit yourself, then." Was Lawliet's response before absently poking the seven year olds' ribs. A muffled sound caught Lawliet's attention before he could get back to his sundae, as he glanced back at the younger genius in shock.

'He didn't just… did he?' Lawliet thought quickly. 'Did he just… giggle?'

Raito's reddening face was the only answer he needed to his unsaid question.

A smirk planted itself on the teen's lips as Raito then caught on and began to inch away from the older boy. He had little time to prepare before he was pounced on to the ground and sat on top of quite uncomfortably.

"Lawli, get off!" As Raito began to struggle, Lawliet once again poked his side and smirked even wider as a choked laugh came spurting from the boy's lips. Coal eyes widened just a fraction as Lawliet poised his fingers at Raito's sides.

"Wait! Lawli, stop! I don't want to-" The yell was cut off as Raito burst out into fits of laughter. Strangers stared awkwardly at the scene, not sure what to say about a teenage boy straddling and tickling a smaller child.

Lawliet did manage to catch people's attentions like that.

Hands were suddenly pushing up at the teen genius's chest as Raito's flushed countenance met his eyes. Tears continually streamed down apple-like cheeks as a quivering smile gently rested on ripe lips. It was at times like this that Lawliet realized just _how beautiful_ this little boy was going to be one day, and one day soon by the looks of it.

"Lawli, we have to get back if we wanna get there before anyone notices we're gone…" gasped the younger boy.

Lawliet pouted before getting off Raito and pulling him up with him. Raito immediately began to straighten his clothing as Lawliet stared back at him.

Yes, Raito-chan was certainly going to be beautiful. And Lawliet would be there by his side to witness that beauty for himself.

"Does Raito-chan wish to have a race back home?" The seven year old smiled widely, the last vestiges of the earlier commotion gone from his face and nodded vigorously.

Lawliet would most definitely be there with Raito, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

How kawaii was that?! Omfg, SO CUTE! SQWEE-NESS ABOUNDS! I think I ((heart)) this au as well. Chibi-Raito-chan was just so adorable to imagine.


	10. Christianity

Title: **_Che Sa Ra, Sa Ra_**

10. _Christianity: The religion derived from Jesus Christ based on the bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Christians._

_

* * *

_

"That can't be right." Yagami Raito pointed out matter of fact-ly to the panda-eyed man next to him. "People cannot seriously be that in love with Kira." Raito crossed his arms in front of his chest as the news flashed about another Kira rally in full swing. Sounds of Kira supporters verbally confirming their beliefs escalated from the television as Raito's lips twisted in disgust.

L's eyebrows raised themselves up in response as he quietly analyzed (of course) the boy sitting next to him. Brown eyes narrowed in genuine anger as Raito's lips thinned even further as a Kira supporter on the TV screen was shown emphatically declaring his love for his "God."

The boy was seriously pissed off.

'This is interesting...' L thought absently while munching on a piece of strawberry Pocky (Mm... pocky). "Raito-kun is truly amazed that people are publicly proclaiming that they are Pro-Kira?" L asked in genuine curiosity.

"Of course!" Raito cried in righteous indignation. "This so called 'God' is slaughtering thousands of people, and these idiots are cheering for him as if he's the freaking second coming of Christ!" Raito huffed loudly as he clenched his fists within his crossed arms.

L smiled inwardly as the play on words were not lost on him (as always). "Raito-kun is not religious himself?"

Raito rolled his cinnamon eyes as the screams of Kira supporters continued to play loudly in the background of the room. "Of course not, Ryuuzaki. It's a completely ridiculous premise. There is no 'God' - and if there is one, he's certainly not looking after his people the way he should be."

The links of the chain between the two genius's lightly clanked together as the detective brought his cuffed hand's thumb to his mouth and nibbled on the digit gently. Raito shifted uncomfortably as L continued to scrutinize him with his piercing gaze.

"Up 10 percent, Raito-kun." L blurted out almost randomly. Raito stared at the detective with wide eyes as L grabbed the TV remote beside them and changed the channel.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"But... why?!" Raito finally cried out as L continued to munch on Pocky and watch the television in front of them (seemingly). The three greatest detectives in the world sighed absently as L turned at Raito with a bored look on his face.

"Only a person with a jaded view of the world would be inclined to think that way, yes Raito-kun?" Raito hesitatingly nodded his affirmative as L continued on without actually waiting for a response. "And I have classified that as one of Kira's many characteristics, considering he feels that only by ridding the world of "evil" and placing **himself **on a pedestal will a balance be achieved. Therefore, Raito-kun, up 10 percent."

The added 'bitch' in Ryuuzaki's head was not necessary to interject in the comment. Raito heard it loud and clear.

As the boy took all of this in, he turned back to the television screen and blankly stared ahead of him. After a moment of silence, Raito spoke once again. "Only you could make a Kira-rant sound like a Kira-trait, Ryuuzaki."

"I know, Raito-kun." L smiled back at the sullen boy. Raito pouted for a moment before grudgingly accepting the defeat placed in front of him.

"Manipulative bastard."

* * *

Yay! Manipulativebastard!L! He's the bestest! ((Snuggles)) You know you love him too... ((hums)) 


	11. Reticent

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

11. _Reticent: Tending not to talk, or give out information._

* * *

"Raito-kun has been extremely quiet these past couple of weeks." L gently prodded the younger artist next to him with his left foot as Raito continued to stare out the window of their bedroom, pencil twirling in his hand. Both men were laid out on their bed, L propped up against the headboard, reading from his Murder/Mystery novel while Raito lay on his stomach next to him, doodling random pictures in his sketchpad.

Raito shrugged as he looked down at the piece of paper in front of him and began to sketch out what looked to be a small child. Obsidian eyes narrowed in concern as Raito continued to ignore his rather obvious staring and concentrated solely on the picture he was drawing.

For a few minutes, it seemed liked Raito was just goofing around with the drawing (as he was prone to do with most of his sketches), but the look on his face slowly began to change. Raito seemed to begin drawing in earnest as he went into facial detail. L watched in fascination as Raito delved himself into the drawing. The look of rapture on the younger artist's face made him all the more desirable as L felt a rupture of longing echo in his chest.

The 24 year olds' eyes lit up in glee as he continued to shade in the mystery child's features. The sudden urge to lean forward and pull his lover onto his lap caused the older man's fingers to twitch as Raito smiled innocently at the picture before him.

L was never really one to ignore his rather ravenous urges in anyway.

"Oof!" Raito cried out in shock as L grabbed him from behind and flipped him forward facing him. The young man blinked in confusion as his drawing materials rolled off the bed and onto the carpeted floor and frowned to himself as he found himself practically laying on the allusive artist's lap.

"What are you doing, L?" Raito asked forlornly, all while directing his gaze from his half-way done picture. L simply blinked in response to the question.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Raito bit his lip (sexy) and turned to look at L with shining, wide eyes. L's breath caught in his throat as his lover's puppy dog eyes softened his features even further. If the look on the 24 year olds' face hadn't been so damn cute (which usually brought out the more manipulative side of Raito), L would have probably felt more inclined to be a bit more sympathetic to his lover's feelings.

Wait…

'Are those genuine feelings he's actually showing?' From the subtle sincerity in the younger man's face, L could gather that was a definite yes.

"What's wrong, Raito-kun. As cute as you look depressed, it truly does not bring out the best of your features." Raito pouted cutely as he looked down at a spot beside their bed, trying desperately to not look at L in his eyes. "I don't want to say." Came the unnaturally bashful voice above L.

L sighed in irritation as Raito still refused to look at his face. "I cannot help Raito-kun if he does not tell me the problem."

Raito's world was then turned upside down as L flipped them both over and straddled the younger man now underneath him. L sure had some hidden strength in that seemingly frail body. 'And I would now…' Raito thought with a fierce blush.

"Now what is the problem?"

Cinnamon eyes trailed back over to the spot where the previous drawing now rested undisturbed, as L's gaze confusedly followed the same path. Raito sighed despondently as he continued to stare at said spot, a heavy sadness clouding his vibrant features.

"Does it bother you that we can't have children, Lawliet." L leaned back in surprise as the unexpected question tumbled from his lover's lips. Raito turned back to face him, patiently waiting for his response.

'Where did that come from?!' L thought in panic. Was Raito trying to tell him something…?

Oh, God.

"What is Raito-kun trying to say with his question?!" Raito blinked up at L as the almost nervous question penetrated his ears. "What am I trying to say? I'm asking you, L, if you want to have children! How is that 'trying to say something,' when it's a simple yes or not question! I'm just looking for your response!"

"Yes, but why ask me such a question?!"

"Because!"

"Because, why?!"

"Because I want to have kids, you jack-ass!"

L quieted almost immediately after and pulled himself back up from his lover's tantalizing body.

'He wants kids…' L thought sadly. 'That must mean that… he doesn't want to be…'

"I mean," Raito interrupted L's thoughts, now uncertain after his unexpected outburst. "It's only natural to _want _to have kids with the person you love, right?"

L raised his eyebrows and stared down at Raito blankly. "With the one you… you mean…" Raito gazed up at L expectantly, hoping to have **finally **gotten his point across.

"You're in love with another woman!?"

Raito sweat-dropped backwards into the bed as L looked down at Raito with betrayal and hurt radiating in his panda-like eyes. "Are you serious, Lawliet?" Raito then pulled his boyfriend down to his face and briefly kissed him passionately, before letting him go almost abruptly. L stared down at the man beneath him with his signature hungry look in his eyes that were now suddenly tinged with sadness.

'What. An. IDIOT!' Raito thought angrily.

"Do you honestly think I would live with you, fuck you, sleep with you, do just about everything a married couple does with one another, and be in love with another woman?" L looked down at the bed sullenly as a murmured 'crazy bisexuals' was whispered to himself.

"Lawliet!"

"… … … No."

Raito sighed to himself (as seems to be the routine, this night) as he crawled out from under his dense boyfriend and pulled out what seemed to be a small brochure from their nightstand beside their bed. L blinked as the laminated paper was shoved directly in front of his face with the words "Whammy's Adoption Agency" standing out in bold letters.

'Adoption…?' L thought with a start.

"You want to have children… with **me**, Raito-kun?" Raito rolled his eyes as the 'no shit, Sherlock' passed between them unnoticed. L grasped the pamphlet before turning to gaze at the man beside him with shining eyes.

"Oomph!" L tackled Raito right off the bed and hugged him as tight as he could (which was pretty fucking tight!). Raito gasped for air as he patted his lover's back in order to get his attention.

"L… can't… breathe…" L's grip loosened somewhat as muffled sounds of what Raito thought were crying escaped the artist's shoulder.

"Lawliet?"

L lifted his face off Raito's shoulder as laughter penetrated the room's quiet atmosphere. Raito gave L a strange look as the laughter increased in intervals. L finally tried to explain himself, while still laughing, but Raito would later wish he hadn't.

"And here I thought… 'Oh my God, he's not gay!', when you were all like… 'I wanna be a mom!' and Raito-kun, to be quite frank… suffice to say, you can't get much gayer than that…" Laughter escalated once again as Raito face-faulted at the other artist's ridiculous sense of humor.

'What have I gotten myself into?!'

* * *

Haha! Didn't think I'd continue this one, huh? I couldn't help it, pervertArtist!L and frustratedArtist!Raito deserve some love. Hm... kids... wonder who that (or those!) will be... I wonder...


	12. Cornucopia

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

12. _Cornucopia: Abundance (Plenty of...)_

* * *

_Warning: No owls were harmed during the making of this drabble. Thank you. XD

* * *

_

"Err... L?"

"Yes, Raito-kun?"

"Is there a reason in particular for wanting to climb a tree... at ten o'clock at night?" The young teenage prodigy, Yagami Raito, stared at the nimble detective before him as he hung off a branch deftly, managing to still illicit an anxiousness within the boy with his piercing stare. The two had been considered an "Official" couple for about two months now, since Higuchi had finally been caught. Raito had not been able to get his hands on his Death Note, and the world was perplexed to no longer have a Kira to 'rule' over it.

All in all, things had died down and the world was raging in criminal chaos once again.

Yet, even though all had been 'sorted out' (though L still had his suspicions with Raito about Kira, but that would be continuous...), the detective had been acting very strange lately. And tonight was the breaking point.

It had Raito on edge.

"Of course, Raito-kun. I want you to meet... something of importance of mine. Now come, we're wasting time!" L deftly reached for a new branch and swung up, demonstrating just how strong he was. Raito sighed as he followed in example.

'Something tells me I'm not going to like this...' Raito thought to himself with a grimace. L then chose at that moment to stop climbing and stooped on a branch with his rather awkward grace.

'Is he... talking to something?!'

Raito climbed up at a faster pace as L's voice began to drift over to him...

"And I'm sure you'll love him... of course he's smart, I wouldn't take 'em any other way!"

Raito officially became freaked the fuck out.

"Uh... L?" Raito began as he got to the branch L was half-hazardly sitting on. "What are you talking to?"

L smiled brilliantly (which in itself would have creeped Raito out on any other day) and grabbed Raito's hand and pulled him (almost pushed him off) to the space next to him.

What Raito saw shocked him into verbal silence, but his his head continued running at full capacity as the sight before him greeted his, now scarred, eyes.

'WHAT THE FUCK?!'

"Raito-kun, this is who I wanted you to meet!" Two owls stared at Raito unblinkingly, one mysteriously had an apron on while the other smoked a pipe creepily. The two owls then hooted in what appeared to be... acceptance?

'How the hell should I be able to tell that?' Raito thought to himself, as the sudden thoughts of 'Omg, omg, im loony, imfuckingcrazy!' rambled on and on in his mind like a chorus.

"I know, isn't he so cute?" L smiled pleasantly at the animals. Raito could only stare as the owl gazed blankly at the boy right back.

O.O

O.O

O.O

"L..."

"These are my parents, Raito-kun!" One of the owls (the mother...?) began to peck at a rat it had held between one of its claws before turning towards Raito with an almost expectant 'look' ('ftw?!' Thought Raito in disgust) on its face. "Look, Raito-kun! She wants you to have some! I think they both really like you!"

SPLAT!

"Raito-kun!"

There certainly was plenty of craziness to go around within Yagami Raito's head, but this certainly took the cake.

"Damn... L… owls... ngh…"

* * *

Mucho props goes to _SomethingI'veforgotten_, who is really the one responsible for this drabble. Heh, this is what happens when two people try to actually imagine L's parents, let alone when one has write about them!


	13. Undeviating

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

13. _Undeviating: Keeping a true course._

* * *

_Italics: Flashback Sequence _

* * *

"You should have seen his face, Raito-kun. You would have… you would have loved every second of it." A baritone voice echoed within the sterile room stained entirely of white, the peaceful atmosphere strained with a underlying tension.

Whirls coming from the machines around the unconscious man's bed continued to repeat after each other as L Lawliet sat perched on the edge of his chair, feet practically dangling from his seat. The still unresponsive Yagami Raito lay undisturbed on his bed as L relayed his day at work to the prone figure beside him.

It was one of the many things they had enjoyed doing while Raito had still been awake.

"It was quite comical to watch him try to act so regally after falling so promptly on his face." L finished the story with a sad smile as he wiggled his precarious toes. The beeps of the heart monitor hooked up to the I.V. were his only response as the expression on Raito's face stayed the same.

It made L think back to happier times, times before this hospital, this room…

This coma.

* * *

"_L, come here! Look at this!" Raito was staring out their window in giddiness while L was working on another set of schematics for a new building that was being built in the middle of Tokyo. Both men had been living together for over 3 years, which was quite the mile stone since they were both prone to growing bored of their significant others after a month. _

_This was the real deal. _

"_What is it, Raito-kun?" L stood (hunched) up from his awkward (to everyone else) seated position and, barefooted, shuffled over to where Raito was standing. L peered through the window and directed his gaze across the street where a gaggle of children were playing with a sprinkler. Three distinguishable heads in particular were spotted almost immediately from the distance. _

"_They're actually…" L began perplexed. _

"_Yeah!" Raito exclaimed excitedly. The three boys they were observing were actually playing (Or in Nate's case, staring boringly) with the other children.(Yelling in Mihael's case)._

_L smiled as he watched his three kids enjoying themselves in their own way, content with everything around him. Raito smiled beatifically at their sons, and L counted himself lucky once more. _

_His life was closer to perfect than he'd ever thought it would be..._

_**God, what happened?**_

A knock came from the door, interrupting L from his memories. "Father…?" A hesitant whisper squeaked from the slightly open door as a blonde head with dark eyes poked out to glance at their surroundings. L blinked back at the boy sluggishly, not truly seeing him there.

Mihael hadn't expected much else from his father, but was still disappointed none the less.

"Can we come in? Watari-san said we could see daddy today, but if you don't want…"

"No, no, come in, Mihael. Are your brothers with you?" L drolly beckoned the boy in as he nodded the affirmative and he and his brothers came inside the bland hospital room. A red head wearing goggles and a PSP in his hand along with a silver haired boy clutching a toy jet entered the room along with Mihael. "I'm sure your dad would want you to be here with him. I suppose I am to blame for not allowing the three of you to come see him more often."

The boys glanced at each other unsurely as L grasped onto his lover's hand and held onto it tightly. Mihael was the first to step forward as he came up to the opposite of the hospital bed and sadly gazed down at his 'daddy.' Matt came up beside him, pocketing his electronic device, while Nate slouched to his father, all the while keeping his eyes on the figure on the bed.

"Is daddy going to wake up soon, father?" Nate whispered solemnly. The same black eyes that L, himself, had turned to the man beside him, as the youngest boy's fingers began to clench the toy to his chest all the tighter.

What do you say to a child at a time like this?

Nate had always been the smartest of the three (though all three boys were geniuses in their own right), so patronizing him didn't seem worth the effort. But even L could not be so cruel as to tell his own son that the person, the one who had pulled him up from the horrible orphanage and given him a home when no one else would, did not even have the slightest chance of actually living again.

"I hope so, Nate."

Mihael and Matt began to climb on top of the bed and cuddled up next to their comatose daddy, trying not to get tangled in the wires connecting to the machines in the process. Nate frowned before moving forward and climbing on the bed as well, all three of them bunched up together on the small mattress. L let go of Raito's hand as he (grudgingly) allowed the boys to have their own time with their main parental figure.

Raito had to wake up, and he had to wake up soon. L didn't know how much more of this he could take before…

Before he finally broke.

* * *

Yes, I brought back coma!raito along with grieving!L. I couldn't leave them hangin', y'all. I hope you all enjoyed the cameos as well. I'm just messing with this whole family, now...

* * *


	14. Defend

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

14. _Defend: To repel danger or attack from a fort._

* * *

"Is the coast clear, L?" A disembodied whisper echoed through the hallways of the dark orphanage, as a teenage L Lawliet glanced around his surroundings. Lawliet beckoned the young voice forward as a shadow hesitated for the slightest of moments before making himself known to the 18 year old in question.

Slightly shaggy chestnut hair hung over chocolate brown eyes as a now 11 year old Yagami Raito nodded solemnly as the adolescent reached the older boy as quickly as he could. Raito now reached Lawliet just below the chest, as he bleakly stared up at the teenage. L had been gone for the past six months on a new investigation, and had not been able to even talk to the youth for about a year, let alone see.

'He's grown so much since the last time I've seen him...' Lawliet thought silently to himself. The two boys stealthily snuck out the orphanage (as both were used to doing, obviously) and made their way outside, a backpack now visibly swung over the younger genius's shoulder.

"Wow…" Lawliet jokingly began, as he took in the scenery around them. " I forgot what the outside actually looked like." Raito frowned to himself, but otherwise didn't say a thing. Lawliet quirked an eyebrow at the unexpected reaction as they made their ways to the outdoor tennis courts located in the back of the orphanage. Raito was completely silent for the rest of the walk, so for once, Lawliet followed his lead.

Once they got to the courts, Raito set down the heavy looking bag and pulled out the equipment inside of it. Still, he remained quiet. Lawliet began to grow annoyed at the 'silent treatment' as Raito roughly handed him his racket and made his way to the other side of the court.

"Will you continue this for the rest of the night, Raito-kun?" Lawliet lazily asked as the younger boy served. Lawliet struck back at the ball, as the hidden aggravation became known with the heavy handed swing.

"Continue what?" Raito coldly asked back, as he hit the tennis ball with equal ferocity. Lawliet gracefully ran after the ball and swung once again as he narrowed his eyes in growing anger.

"You know what, Raito-kun." The older man countered along with the ball. "This unnerving silence and your apathetic stares are growing to be annoying." The younger prodigal genius dove for the ball with a vicious look on his face as he caught the ball with his racket just in the knick of time.

"Does it matter?" Raito snarled. "You'll just be leaving tomorrow, anyways. It's not like you'll actually be thinking about me, or what I did while you were actually here!" Lawliet frowned at the boy before hitting the ball with all of his might. Raito attempted to dive once more for it, but this time came up short.

"15-Love."

Raito got up to retrieve the ball, but was stopped just when he was about to reach for the ball. A hand grasped his own as Raito looked up unexpectedly, only to be overwhelmed by coal black eyes. The young pre-teen blushed a small bit at the contact, but did not snatch his hand away. Raito gazed into Lawliet's eyes as the young genius reached over and pulled the child to his chest.

"Do you even miss me at all? Even if… even if it's just a little?" The young boy quietly questioned his only friend. Lawliet slowly closed his eyes as he pulled Raito closer to his chest, laying his head directly on top of the other's silky brown locks.

"Raito-kun knows that I miss him where ever I go. That is why I cherish the time we have together, even if it is brief." Lawliet pulled the pre-teen away from his chest to look into those wide mahogany eyes he cared so much about. "When Raito-kun is a couple years older, we will be able to spend more time with each other, but until then, you must continue to study at Whammy's. I know Raito-kun misses me, but he should know that I would never abandon him..."

Lawliet brushed away a lock of hair from the younger genius's eyes as he smiled down at the angelic face gazing up at him. "You are my only true friend, Raito-kun, and I will never leave you behind."

Raito's eyes mysteriously glimmered for a moment as he gazed at Lawliet with an emotion even L himself couldn't describe. The look was gone before he knew it, the teenager silently mourning its loss. It was in these small moments that Lawliet realized just how much this one boy was growing attached **to him**, L Lawliet, the most unsociable, underhanded genius detective with a stubborn streak to take out an army...

And vice-versa.

"Promise me... promise me you'll always come back for me, Lawli. I can't go through this again..." Raito looked down at the ground before grasping for the older boy once more and burying his head into his shoulder. "I can't be left alone, again."

Lawliet hugged the young boy once again, before the words were ripped out of his mouth, whether the young detective liked it or not.

"I promise."

* * *

Before anyone says anything, yes, ooc-ness (like the whole fic isn't ooc! XD) up the ying-yang. Hm... oh well. I like the way this au is going. Cute, with an awesome mixture of angst. Awesome.


	15. Toggle

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

15. _Toggle: To switch between multiple options. _

* * *

"Wow... who would have thought there would be so many to choose from?" L exclaimed out loud. Raito sweat dropped as the man in charge of the orphanage, Watari-san, smiled back at the seemingly naive artist as if he had not referred to the children he took care of as a shopping selection.

"We try."

Raito attempted to hold down the giggle of insanity that threatened to bubble up from his throat, as hetried to ground himself to reality. 

If he couldn't deal with the things L said at this point, then kids just weren't for him.

"Do you two have a specific age group, gender or any other sort of specific aesthetics in the child?" L turned to Raito as the younger of the two blinked. "Age group...?" Raito thought out loud. He pondered to himself for a moment before shaking his head. He wanted a child, but that was it.

Age or aesthetics weren't really a deciding factor, but...

"Nothing specific, but if it's all the same, I think it would be better to keep it under the age of ten." Raito smiled at the older gentleman behind the desk as Watari nodded in acceptance.

"Of course, I'm sure we'll be able to accommodate your needs just fine." Watari folded his hands over his desk as he leaned forward. "It helps that you are so general in your wants. These children are always looking for a chance to stand out and appeal to adults."

L remained quiet as the two other men in the room hammered out the rest of the specifics and made an appointment for another day to see the children in question. The older artist didn't much care what child they received, as long as they made his lover happy.

He hadn't wanted to say anything to Raito, but he wasn't much of a "kid" person, himself.

Raito bowed (and elbowed L in the ribs so he would do the same) as the meeting was done with and grabbed L's hand as they made their leave. A giddiness infiltrated his chest as the thought of what their new child might look like came into mind.

L continued to stay silent as they walked out of the orphanage. He didn't know why, but L had a strong feeling that the next time they came, Hell was most definitely going to be unleashed.

He didn't know how right he was.

* * *

"The children are all in the rec room, today. I thought it would be a nice way to observe them equally, in a sociable atmosphere." Watari explained to the two younger men beside him. L held his thumb to his lips, as his other hand clasped Raito's own hand clasped tightly within his own. 

Why was he so nervous? They were just kids...

Right?

As the door opened, a flood of children's screams were let loose upon the three men. Raito smiled in excitement as he didn't notice the look of panic setting in his lover's face.

'What the... where are all the cages!' L thought shockingly. The kids were running around everywhere, all of them a big, jumbled mess. L looked at Raito, ready to tell him that he want to get the _**Hell **_out of there, but the beautiful smile laying on the younger man's face stop him in his tracks.

"I think we should split up and look around; see if any of the kids catch either of our attentions in particular." L's eyes widened outrageously as his grip on his lover's hand tightened almost painfully. Raito looked at him quizzically as L stretched a fake smile across his pale lips and nodded his head in false agreement.

'Why do I feel like I just accepted my own personalone-way tripdown a spiral of DOOM...?'

"Great! Exclaimed Raito even more enthusiastically than before. The younger artist wrenched his hand out of the other's death grip as L whimpered silently to himself.

'Come back, Raito-kun! Don't leave me with these...' L halted his thoughts as he gazed at the multitude of faces now staring at him with innocent, wide opens. 'Demon spawn. They all look like... demon spawn.'

It was after that thought that the questions began.

"Your eyes are weird. Do you use eyeliner? Eyeliner's for girls, isn't it?"

"Do you think he's a giwl?"

"He don't look like one... at least not a pwetty one."

"Why does your hair lean to one side? Is it scared of you?"

"You'w awful skinny, mistew. Do you even eat? Are you ano- ano-"

"Anowexic?"

"Yeah! That! Are you that?"

"Are you like... old enough to even adopt?"

Yes, demon spawn seemed to be the appropriate words to use as L shifted away from the seemingly possessed children.

"God, can't you brats just leave the poor guy alone! He looks like he's ready to have a freaking spaz attack!" A young voice bellowed over the roar of children. The 31 year old turned to look in the direction of the voice and blinked in surprise. A small blonde boy, maybe about six years old, wearing all black with a rosary dangling from his tiny neck stood imposingly over the children. A red head wearing goggles and a striped tee-shirt about the same age leaned against the other boy. He seemed disinterested in the whole scene, all the while staring entrancingly into the gameboy he held in his hands. He opened his mouth, ready to speak as well-

"What he said."

Well... L's attention was officially caught.

* * *

_Meanwhile, over where Raito was..._

Child after child vied for the young man's attention, but Raito simply brushed them all off with a small smile. He didn't know why, but none of these children seemed to be what he was looking for.

'Too fat... too hippy-looking... too pretty... too ugly... too emo... oh, too perky! Gah, what the hell! You'd think I'd be satisfied with any kid off the street, but these kids... I don't know.'

Cinnamon eyes drooped as the collection of children began to jump around like puppies, desperate in trying to catch the older man's gaze. It was when the gaggle of children began tugging at his crisp, white collared shirt that Raito saw him, quietly sitting in a far off corner by his lonesome.

Silvery white hair twirled over dark, midnight eyes as a young child of maybe three or four years old sat on the floor, away from the other children. The young boy seemed to be in his own world entirely, where as the other children continued to grapple for his sight.

Raito gently pushed away the other children and made his way to the boy, his curiosity finally piqued.

Obsidian eyes (so familiar...) sleepily looked up as a tall shadow fell over them. Warm brown eyes encompassed the younger boy's vision as the 24 year old smiled gently upon the child.

"Hey... can I sit down, here?"

"..." The boy stayed silent for a minute, almost like he was analyzing the older man before him (and that just wasn't possible), until he finally nodded in consent.

Raito's grin brightened even more as the young boy gave him a toy, along with that, permission to play alongside him.

The other children simply stared.

* * *

"So... what are your names?" L boldly asked the explosive blonde as the crowd of obnoxiously curious children finally dispersed. "I'm Mihael... this is Mail." 

"Hey." The goggled boy absently interjected after hearing his name thrown into the conversation. Mihael rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms and obviously looked L over.

"You don't look like the type to want to have kids." Mihael concluded after a moment of silence. L smiled in his awkward way as he brought one of his thumbs up to his mouth and spoke around it.

"That's because I'm not."

Mihael blinked in confusion. "Then why the heck are you here?" Mail spoke from Mihael, finally looking up at the insomniac artist. L shifted his gaze until he found what he was looking for, and lifted his arm to point in the general direction where Raito, and apparently another boy, sat.

"Because he is."

* * *

"You know, we've been playing robots for awhile now, and yet you still haven't told me your name." Raito spoke through the amenable silence. The boy's coal black eyes widened in what could have been surprise (maybe?) as he shyly gazed at Raito with slightly hooded lids. "You... you want to know my name?" The boy asked quietly. 

"Well, if I want to adopt you, it'd be the first thing I'd have to know, right?" Raito twirled a robot through the air and let it land gracefully (or not) on the ground. The boy stayed silent for a moment, before turning to the fallen robot.

"Nate."

Raito smiled.

"And I'm Raito." The 24 year old pulled out his hand towards the boy as Nate reached out for it hesitatingly, a small smile of his own in place.

"YOU'RE WITH A GUY!" Came an outstanding shriek as both man and boy quickly looked over to the yeller in question.

"L?" Raito asked in confusion.

"Mihael..." Nate sighed exasperatingly.

"So you're gay? Well, that explains a lot." Mail nodded in acknowledgment.

"You mean you couldn't tell?" L bluntly stated with his creepy smile in place. The children (other than Mihael and Mail) began to back away from the man in sudden fear.

"L, stop scaring the children!" Raito exclaimed in extreme annoyance, not noticing the uncomfortable way the boy next to him stared at the other artist. Nate blinked at the other man before moving closer to Raito and setting himself on the man's lap.

Raito grinned.

L glared.

Mihael gaped.

Mail played.

The other children in the orphanage just continued to stare.

o.o

* * *

Thanks to .Jake. for the info on Matt's name. For some reason, I always space and just call him Matt. Mihael, I remember. Nate, I remember. Mail? Ha... Mail... The other au will probably just keep Matt, but this one, I swear I'll freaking try. Yeah... right...


	16. Fatherland

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

16. _Fatherland: The nature of land of one's ancestors. _

* * *

"So... you come from England, Lawliet-san?" Raito politely asked as he and said professor went through a mountain of test papers needing to be corrected. Raito had come over to the teacher's house, (and by house, Raito meant freaking MANSION!) which had become a sort of weird tradition for the past two months. Neither man had tried to take their relationship to the next level, but a comfortable routine had instead been situated. After the kiss at the café, things had become peaceful, yet still so terribly boring.

Lawliet hated it.

It almost seemed like the younger man was testing his patience, moving neither forward or backward, taunting the teacher with 'almost' moments, and 'could be' stares. They were both stuck in this perpetual limbo, and neither man seemed to want to make the next move.

Lawliet, because he had taken the first step, and that had been hard enough as it was. He was an introvert by nature, and not much would change that constant in the man's personality.

Raito... well, that was where the dilemma lied.

What the Hell was up with Raito?

"Yes, Raito-kun. I was born and raised in England, and then decided to move to Japan after much thought and deliberation." Lawliet answered the younger man's question with a small bit of hesitation. It had taken awhile, but the professor had begun tearing down certain barriers within his mind, forcing himself out of the old habit of keeping almost everything about his life to himself. Giving out even that bit of information was almost nauseating.

Damn, the things he was giving up for this kid...

And it was like he didn't even notice!

Raito smiled politely (ugh!) once again and nodded to himself. "Can I ask you something else, Lawliet-san?"

Lawliet sighed to himself as an unconscious tick developed itself in his right eye. "Of course, Raito-kun."

"Why do you go by 'Ryuuzaki'? That's just a pseudonym, right? Why would you need to do something like that..." Raito frowned mid-sentence. "Unless you have something to hide?"

A small piece of himself curled up inside of his mind as the question infiltrated through his automatic defenses. Lawliet internally winced all the while keeping his eternally blank look on his face. He went to his first defense out of any kind of situation that lead to uncomfortable, personal questions: Lying.

"I just like the name, Raito-kun. Sounds a whole lot better than L Lawliet, doesn't it?" Lawliet tilted his head to the side and stared into the other's big brown eyes, somehow trying to plead his fake truthfulness.

"You... you gave yourself a pseudonym, almost completely wiped all existence of the name you were born with, create a life around said pseudonym, and get mad at anyone, other than myself, who decides to use your original name... all because you don't like the way your name sounds?" Raito questioned the eccentric professor dubiously.

"Yeah." L quietly replied.

"I don't believe you."Raito bluntly stated without hesitation. Lawliet's mouth twitched in agitation as he kept his empty stare on the boy beside him.

'I'll give you a lot of myself, Raito-kun,' Lawliet thought to himself, ' but this is a part of me Raito-kun cannot have.'

"May we change the subject, Raito-kun?" The teacher asked with a slight tremor in his voice. The student heard the hidden tension in the older man's voice and decided to steer away from the topic at hand. There was one more question to ask, but...

'He did make the first move,' Raito iterated in his head. 'I can do this...'

'I can do this.'

"Lawliet?" Raito began without the honorific, letting the man know he wanted his full attention. Lawliet clenched his fists as the strains of another question came pouring from the younger man's beautiful lips. "Yes, Raito-kun?"

Raito silently gulped. "It's just... you hate your name, that much is obvious, but you want **me **to call you by your given name... why would you do that, if you hate your name so much?"

Lawliet finally pushed away his papers after a moment of awkward silence and made his way to the other side of the couch, where Raito now sat. Raito stared up at the professor as Lawliet sat down beside him (close, close, TOO CLOSE!) "Raito-kun knows why I want him to call me by my given name."

Raito blushed a scarlet red as memories of the short kiss(es) flashed through his head. Lawliet leaned over to Raito in just the slightest way.

"The question Raito-kun really wants to ask is if I mean what I say... and what I do." Lawliet continued to shift closer to the younger man until his was about a couple inches away from his face.

"And the answer is... yes."

Raito's cinnamon eyes fluttered closed as the professor was just about to eliminate the distance, having the younger man right where he wanted him-

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"Aah!"

"Oh, shit!"

"Ryuuzaki?"

"Holy crap, he has a guy over!"

"Were they making out?! Is he hot?! Lemme' see!"

Lawliet sighed, this time in irritation, as Raito's cheeks colored themselves an even brighter red underneath the college professor. The young man began pushing at the teacher's chest, trying to get Lawliet off of him before the other voices bombarded them with uncomfortable questions.

"I'm not getting laid anytime soon, am I?" Lawliet mistakenly thought out loud, all the while ignoring the persistent hands on his person.

The glare on Raito's face said it all.

* * *

XD Yes, L, you are so not gonna get laid. A lot of you were expecting continuation from the last chap, but don't worry, I'll try not to leave you hanging. Hope you enjoyed a bit of Prof!L and Student!Raito! 


	17. Stalk

Title: _**Che Sara, Sara**_

17. _Stalk: To pursue stealthily._

* * *

"You can't be serious." A pair of molten brown eyes widened in shock as lackadasial orbs of black squinted at the scene before them, an unnameable emotion lurking deep within the depths of said eyes. Light could only think of one thing to say at that moment, and looking back on it, maybe he should have kept his big mouth shut that day.

"I can explain this." 

Now, if Light hadn't been in the shadows of the back of the gym, ogling the entire football team and making goo-goo eyes with the star Quarterback, things might have been more... explainable. Unfortunately for Light, this was not the situation. 

'How do you get out of this one, genius?' A voice whispered in Light's head.

Oh, his reputation was fucked right out of a ten story window.

Lawliet, another student who happened to be in **all** of Light's A.P. classes, continued to burn a hole into the other teen's head with his empty stare. If Light didn't know better, with the way the boy neglected to take care of himself and his non-existent social skills, he would have guessed that the other teenager had been raised by wolves. 

His genius said something else entirely, however. Lawliet had a 4.0 in every one of his subjects, and his deduction skills were flawless. 

'Like I said, how are you going to get out of this one, Mr. I know everything?'

Oh, the window was looking like a piece of cake compared to the incredibly big ass cliff his reputation was now officially jumping out of. 

"You... you can explain this?" Lawliet asked skeptically. After a moment of awkward silence, a gleam began to sparkle within the ebony depths hung with dark rings. Lack of sleep was a given fact for the teenager, not a question. "Then start explaining."

The normally calm, charismatic Yagami Light was completely at a loss of words. 

I mean... how do you tell someone you practically don't even know that you're gay!

"Uh... well, you see... There's this... thing?" Light uncomfortable stuttered. Lawliet smiled slyly as the sure to be outed teenager blinked rapidly, trying desperately to grasp at some bullshit explanation. At this point, there was no use in coming up with a reasonable story. "I... really like football?"

The statement turned question made both young men blink at its stupidity. 

Light cursed it.

Lawliet found it amusing. 

"You're a very strange boy underneath all that glamour, Light-kun." Lawliet nodded his head at the statement with a small smile decorating his visage as Light stared in outrage, not only at the comment, but at the familiarity the other boy used with his given name. 

"Hey! I am not!" Light cried out immaturely. It seemed that along with his bullshitting skills, that his intelligent comebacks seemed to have also gone down the drain. Poor Light-kun, indeed. 

Lawliet's eyes narrowed in disagreement as he turned the other direction he came in and began to walk off. "Of course, Light-kun."

Light fumed silently as the other teen prodigy continued to walk away from him. Lawliet, after a moment of just walking, stopped in his tracks and looked back at Light over his bony shoulder. 

"And don't worry, Light-kun. I'll make sure not to tell anyone you're gay."

Light's eyes widened in embarrassment as the other boy finally disappeared from his sight, via the indoor gym door. 

"Fucking shit!"

L Lawliet officially had Yagami Light by the balls. 

* * *

XD No, don't worry, this is not going to be another au continuation. I think I like this one-shot as is (besides the fact that I still have L call Light by his honorific when football is an American sport; everyone ignore that!). I just got sick of L being the stalker in most stories and decided to kind of switch the roles in a weird way. Funny, no?


	18. Venture

Title: _**Che Sa Rà, Sa Rà **_

18. _Venture: To expose to hazard._

* * *

"He looks so peaceful...are you sure he's not just sleeping?" Mihael joked weakly as he lay beside his prone father. Matt continued to play his PSP, but shot frequent glances at the man he was laying next to while Nate quietly cuddled the unconscious man's leg. L closed his eyes as he sighed through his nose, not even scolding Mihael for the bad timing of his half-assed 'joke.' 

"Sorry." Mihael excused himself quietly. The 10 year old blonde bit his lip as he tightly clenched the rosary that hung on his neck (one of the one's his daddy had gotten for him when he realized just how religious his most ramboctious of children actually was) and buried his head within the thinning shoulder that lay underneath him. Mihael closed his eyes, as the familiar prayer rested upon his lips...

"Our father, who art in heaven..." Mihael began to recite the prayer from memory, thinking of the times both he and his father would take turns before going to bed, saying parts of the prayer whilst smiling back at the other. Matt suddenly stopped playing his game and Nate turned to his older brother with sleepy eyes. L continued to stay silent, but his quivering lip betrayed just how unstable the older man was feeling. 

Mihael continued without anymore hesitation. "Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil... Amen."

A moment of awkward silence filled the room as Mihael opened his teary eyes, allowing a few tears to slip out between the crevices. L then shakily stood up from the chair he had been sitting in and quickly walked into the bathroom, shutting the door loudly behind him. For a minute or two, all he could do was stand there, his dark eyes watering uncontrollably. L tried to hold in the torrent of emotion that had been building for the last three months, but found he could do so no longer. 

It was then that the man that everyone leaned against finally snapped.

A broken sob escaped the archetict's throat as he threw himself on the bathroom floor and landed on his knees. Wails of anguish echoed in the small room as L held his head between his hands, trying in vain to pull himself together. The boys on the otherside of the door began banging on the metal barrier trying to grab the elder man's attention, but it was allignored. 

The cries of young voices trying desperately to reach their father were drowned out by the sobs wrenching themselves from the insomniac's mouth as L just continued to lay on the cold tile floor, doing nothing but cry.

* * *

"Will he... be alright?" Came a voice cutting through the shroud of darkness L was desperately trying to hang on to.

"-just exhaustion... some rest... good."

"Father... wake up!"

"It shouldn't... long now."

L recognized the voices around him, but when he reached for their names and faces, his mind came up with a blank.

"You have to wake up! You just have to!"

'But why...?' L thought candidly to himself. 'It's so warm here. So... peaceful.'

"Father's not gonna... like daddy, right?"

'Daddy?' L tried to grasp at the familiarity of the affectionate term. 'Daddy... I know who they're talking about, but... a name. What is the name! I know this is one name that...'

A pair of cinnamon brown eyes centered on an angelic visage was conjured in his mind's eye.

'Daddy... Raito!'

Bleary obsidian eyes slowly fluttered open, bracing themselves for the bright light that invaded their vision as L finally woke up to the chaos around him. Three pairs of round, innocent eyes widened in relief as a chorus of "Father!" filled the hospital room. L blinked hazily while being bombarded with hugs, wondering how he got from the bathroom to the empty hospital bed that lay next to Raito's. 

"What... what happened?" L asked through the warm bodies that surrounded him. A deep, authoritive voice answered the architect, grabbing L's growing attention immediately. "You passed out in the bathroom from physical exhaustion. Though if I were to guess, it wasn't just **physical **exhaustion that wore you out."

"Yagami-san." L took in his lover's father's sudden appearance in shock. The last time he had seen the older police officer, he had been cursing L, telling him he was to blame to Raito's condition. 

L didn't blame him in the least for thinking that way. 

"When I got here, I had to break the door open, and when the kids saw you just laying there unconscious, they almost went into cardiac arrest." Yagami Soicirou explained to the man in bed. "Were you even aware of how bad it had gotten, Lawliet?"

L winced in response. "Yes, your son-"

"Not my son, Lawliet. With you." Raito's father interrupted. L could only look down at the bed sheets covering him, not being able to hold the man's gaze any longer. 

"Well?" The older man stared down at his son's 'significant other' as the answer became apparent, even without L's input. The officer sighed as he ran a hand through his graying hair. Familiar mahogany eyes narrowed, an undescribable emotion flashing through the brown depths. 

"I know now is not the best of times, Lawliet, but with this happening, I feel I have no choice but to bring it forward." Soichirou tentatively sat down at the edge of the bed as he kept his gaze locked on L, blank expression carefully constructed on his face. "The rest of the family and I have come to a decision about Raito's condition..."

L froze where he was, his midnight eyes widening ever so slightly.

'God no, don't tell me something like this.'

The older man sighed and pushed his glasses up a bit. "Three months, Lawliet. We've barely seen, if any, improvement in Raito's condition, and we all feel that it's time to let the poor boy rest in-"

"No!"

The uncharacterized shout made L turn his head sharply as a silver head of hair shot up from his position on his father. Both L and Soichirou stared at the youngest of the boys as a harsh stare permeated his usually tranquil expression. Tears blurred Mihael's eyes in earnest as his hands shook and Matt dropped his PSP on the ground; that more than anything else stating just how badly the child was shaking. 

"Daddy **will** wake up. He-he wouldn't leave us alone like that, I swear!" Nate exclaimed in foreign anger. 

The older man gazed sadly at the three boys as they tried to plead their cases. "Jii-chan... onegai." Matt insisted sadly. L closed his eyes and sighed loudly, catching everyone off guard. 

"You know I won't terminate his life until I deem it necessary, Yagami-san. So everything you are saying is not only upsetting the children, but a waste of breath." L opened his eyes and stonily stared up at the officer. "Raito still has a chance, and even if it is a small one, I will not take that away from him. You out of everyone else here now how much of a fighter your son is..."

Soichirou hung his head in sadness as he placed his hands on his lap. After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, Soichirou got off the bed and began walking towards the door. "Yagami-san-"

"What if he never wakes up, L? What if he's stuck like that, for the rest of his goddamn life, never actually living, but never being allowed to die? Is that the kind of existence you want for my son? Is that the kind of existence you want for these boys and yourself?" Raito's father got to the door and opened it, looking back at the architect one last time.

"What will you do if he never wakes up, L?"

L's large black eyes blinked back at the older man, not even hesitating in his answer.

"I'll wait with him, for as long as it takes. Because, if he doesn't ever wake up... neither will I."

The children nodded as well, leaving the older man drained. He shook his head as he walked out the room, giving the family the space they wanted.

'They'll continue to live on without actually living no matter what I or anyone else has to say, and that Raito, is the real tragedy in all this... if you never wake.'

* * *

Poor L-chan. This almost makes me wanna snuggle with him... almost. But that's Raito's job! Lol! And more to satisfy from the coma!au. I know a lot of people are attached to this au... ((sniffle)) Gosh, this au needs some closure, already!


	19. Endorse

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

_19. Endorse: To put on, don on, or write on the back of. _

* * *

A beautiful blonde woman sat behind a table, smiling pleasantly at the camera in front of them. Words continued to spout out of the young woman's mouth, none of it actually interesting to Raito in the least, until a teary frown (obviously forcefully plastered on) settled on the voluptuous lips of the anchorwoman.

"And in other news, three more men were taken into custody today. The perpetrators are all under suspicion of having a connection to the latest series of murders in the London area. Mysteriously, all the victims have been found in their own beds with small punctured wounds within their arms, bodies perfectly preserved along with wide opened eyes. The police have yet to determine what type of poison the victims have been infected with, as 4 new victims have been found in the course of the investigation. Our sources have also told us that the one and only L has taken on the case, ensuring that justice shall prevail, and no crime shall go unpun-"

Click.

Brown eyes twitched in agitation as Raito looked down at his watch and sighed to himself. The now 13 year old boy stood up from his spot on the couch and began making his way up to his room, ignoring the rest of the children running around him. Raito began thinking of the notes he kept on the latest series of murders, which the news casters had taken to calling the L.I. murders (L.I. standing for Lethal Injections since all the victims had small needle holes on their arms) and tried to connect the victims once again. From the small amount of evidence he could gather from the news and almost no real descriptions of the victims in question, he knew it was a lost cause.

'Jeez, L gets all the good cases! And while he's having all the _real_ fun, I'm stuck here... alone.' Raito complained to himself silently.

The boy barely got to see his friend anymore, if ever. In fact, the last time he had seen the detective, the then 19-year-old man had been boarding a plane to the United States. L had given him a small wave and turned to go inside the cock pit, without even one last glanceback at the boy.

That had been a year and a half ago.

From what the news had been reporting, L had been on the L.I. case for almost a month now, but Raito knew it must have been much longer. L didn't just let information slide for any old reason, nor did he let something that interested him go to waste so easily.

Raito sighed once again as he got to his room and swung the door open, not quite paying attention to his surroundings... or who else was exactly inside.

"Raito-kun!"

Raito's head shot up as an almost sickly-looking young man smiled awkwardly from the chair he was childishly perched upon within the child's small room. The "boy" couldn't have appeared any older than 16, his physical appearance not betryaing his true age in the slightest. Dark coal eyes hung with black crescent moons gazed (without blinking) at the young teen, an unnameable emotion eminent on the 20-year-old's face as he continued to stare at the younger of the two without hesitation. What the emotion was, Raito didn't know.

But the stirrings in his chest did not lessen because of that fact.

"L..." The smile on L's face shrunk in just the slightest, but Raito noticed just the same. When you've known someone for as long as Raito had known L, you just knew... "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working on the L.I. case?"

Raito's chest tightened at the reminder of the case, knowing that that was the real reason his old friend was even here. 'Why are you encouraging him to leave already!' Screamed a voice in the 13-year-old's head. 'This is what you've wanted for almost a year and some months! Take what you can get!'

Yet the boy's pride just couldn't take it.

A frown graced L's lips as the former smile completely disintegrated from L's face. "Does Raito-kun want me to leave so quickly?"

Raito quickly shook his head and closed the door behind him. A part of the young boy actually couldn't believe he was there, sitting in his peculiar way whilst rifling through his things. It was almost as if he hadn't been gone for the last year and six months. "I just... you shocked me, L."

The young detective nodded absently as he stood up from his awkward sitting position. How he could sit all scrunched up like that, Raito would never know. (L said that it raised his reasoning abilities up 40 percent, but Raito just thought it raised his bullshitting abilities up 100 percent, and nothing else.)

L hunched over toward the smaller boy and tilted his head to the side, analyzing his Raito-kun. (At least, that's what L called him in his mind. But he was **his** Raito-kun, and that was that.)

"Raito-kun has grown several inches while I was gone. And he has filled out a bit, as well." L smirked while poking the chocolate eyed boy in his non-existent gut. Raito glared back at L, knowing that was his underhanded way of saying he was gaining some extra weight. "Better to be 'filled out' than emaciated like some."

'Ouch.' L thought. 'That actually stung a little.'

"Of course, Raito-kun." One of them had to take the high road eventually. Though L knew he would get the boy back for the smart-aleck remark anyway. The 20-year-old genius never claimed to be mature. "Will Raito-kun take a walk with me, then? I fear we will simply waste time shooting insults at each other inside this room all day, when we can do so while doing something worth while."

L chose to ignore the "Like always..." that managed to slither out of the other boys mouth.

They both stepped out of the room and went downstairs, L grabbing a jacket from one of the racks, not even letting Watari or Roger know where they were going.

The older gentlemen were used to it at this point.

As they exited the building, they made their way into the nearest town. Raito shoved his hands into his pockets and shivered slightly, not having brought a jacket with him once again. A warmth settled over the younger boy's shoulders as the jacket that had hung on L's skinny frame now lay on Raito's lithe one. The 13-year-old blinked as L just shrugged.

"Raito-kun was cold."

Raito's replied with a small thanks as a tiny smile curled played on his rosy lips.

Only Lawliet.

After a couple minutes of just walking, L finally broke the semi-comfortable silence. "May I ask Raito-kun a question?"

Raito turned to his friend and quirked up an eyebrow up as he nodded silently. The older genius kept his unblinking stare on the younger of the two as one of L's infamous random questions (supposedly) ruined the ambiance. "Why does Raito-kun refuse to call me Lawli anymore?"

Raito stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at L with a bemused expression on his face. The detective gazed back at the boy, blank stare in full effect, though it did nothing to Raito, who knew the childish detective inside and out. A false smile bloomed on Raito's lips as he blinked at the dark haired man, only to begin walking again, without answering the question posed in front of him.

The raccoon eyed detective frowned as he caught up with the smaller boy (Hah, Raito-kun was still shorter than him by a long run!) and continued to openly stare at the boy with unblinking eyes.

Raito smirked.

"Would you prefer if I did, _Lawli-kun_?" Raito spat out the name mockingly as L frowned in annoyance. "Not with that tone, Raito-kun." L shot back, his tone very stern.

"But here's another thing to consider," Raito continued on without hesitation. "After that, would Lawli-kun revert to calling me Rai-chan? Just curious, because that would be just so _kawaii_."

L's left eye twitched in anger as he grabbed Raito's arm and viciously swung him around to face him. A scowl rested on Raito's pink lips as he rolled his eyes. "_Rai-chan_ is not taking my question very seriously."

Raito's scowl deepened.

L silently cheered in his head.

"This isn't about the stupid name, L, and you know it." L internally froze as a dark look overcame those beautiful brown depths. "Ask what it is you really want to know, without all the bullshit attached to it."

L twiddled his toes against one another from inside his sneakers as he tilted his head to the side. He should have known such a ploy wouldn't work with the young Yagami boy. "Raito-kun is very distant with me, now."

It wasn't a question, just a simple statement. It was true, none the less.

Raito's eyes lightened immensely as he turned his gaze elsewhere (anywhere). L brought his other hand up from his side and tilted the young boy's head to meet his own eyes. "I know me not being here is tough on Raito-kun. I know not contacting him at all during these times is even worse, but Raito-kun knows that I would never abandon-"

"It's not about that, L!" Raito exclaimed, interrupting the older man mid-sentence (which L hated). L blinked as Raito glared at the 20 year old _boy_, because that is what L was, no matter what his age said otherwise:

A boy.

"You're constantly gone, always going from one case to another, barely remembering I exist! Then, when you finally 'stop by for a visit,' you act as if I'm supposed to take up this mantle of a child, chasing you around and idolizing you with a big L behind my shirt like you're some kind of super hero; which we both know you aren't." Raito took a breath and settled his eyes on the ground, not even able to look up at his supposed best friend. "At the end of the day, whether you're working on some kind of case or eating your damn sweets, I'm growing up, _Lawliet_. Whether you're here to witness it, or not."

Raito snatched his arm from L's loosening hold and pushed passed the immature detective, running back in the same direction whence they came.

L could only stare as Raito disappeared from his sight, a feeling of emptiness crawling within his heart's crevices.

"Raito-kun..."

* * *

Continued in next chapter...

Sneak peak (at the word, at least)...

Vexatious: Full of distress or annoyance: Troubled.

* * *

Hah, stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Next chap will be the follow up to this one... yay?


	20. Vexatious

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

_20. Vexatious: Full of distress or annoyance: Troubled. _

* * *

A middle aged man with graying hair and glasses stood awkwardly in front of a camera, fidgeting with the lab coat that hung off his shoulders. The plain room afforded the man no comfort, as a strange digitalized voice cut through the strained silence. 

"You may begin, Doctor."

"So it seems the person or persons in question have been using a multitude of obscure, non-lethal poisons when injected solely by themselves, but are rendered lethal when mixed together." The Toxicologist explained to the 20 year old detective through a screen as L gave him the go ahead through his voice changer to continue with his conclusions. The middle aged man continued to go in depth about the types of poisons and amount of each put into each injection used on the victims, barely pausing to take a breath. L's mind, however, was elsewhere, as the doctor began breaking down the components in each individual poison. 

On a particular 13 year old genius, to be precise. 

Dark eyes blankly stared at the screen as another candy wrapper was added to the floor, a mountain of crimson stripes building around L's bare feet. 

_'I'm growing up, whether you're here to witness it or not.'_

Or not...

Hadn't he made a promise to both himself and the angelic looking genius that he would never abandon him? And what was the 1st thing he did, whilst not even paying attention?

'I left him to fend for himself, even when I told him he wouldn't have to.' L chided in his own mind. 'It's no wonder he hates me; at this point, I hate myself.'

As the Toxicologist ended their long winded report, L dismissed them, demanding a full length prognosis on all the findings so he could examine the report himself with his own eyes. The middle aged doctor nodded and the screen finally went black. L stared at the dark monitor, suckling on the hard candy while rubbing his toes together unconsciously.

There was a rift between himself and the genius boy who was steadily growing older by the day. Little by little, time was passing by, and L was missing every second of it... all for obligations he couldn't control.

L could pretend that he was as strong willed and independent, but deep inside, he knew that that was only a facade. Every decision he has made, was not actually made by _Lawliet. _Hell, he hadn't even been the one to actually pick becoming a detective or not. It was a career _chosen_ for him on his merits, not exactly on his wants. 

'Just like all the other things in my life...' L thought grimly.

If Raito knew just how much of a pawn L actually was, he doubted the boy would even be able to look at him the same way he did now. 

'Like he looks at you so greatly now, oh superb detective?' whispered a sly voice in the back of the 20 year old's mind. 'He practically sneers at you, and you can't even blame him. You're pathetic...'

L swallowed the candy painfully, the taste soured by his train of thought. Memories of the past four years flashed through his mind's eye, leaving him to wander through years of long lost emotions...

* * *

_"Watari..." A 16 year old L Lawliet looked up from the case he was studying, capturing the older man's attention with is piercing gaze._

_"Yes, L?" Watari set down the strawberry slathered cake he held in between his hands and looked expectantly at his most prized genius orphan. L was perhaps the brightest of the bright, outshining those in his field twice his age and experience. Who wouldn't be proud of such a child?_

_"I would like to call Raito-chan today, if it's not too much trouble. It is his birthday, as you know." L unblinkingly kept his eyes locked on the mustached man, not letting it waver in the slightest._

_He hadn't talked to the nine year old boy in more than seven months, and hadn't seen him in nine. And that in itself was simply unacceptable. _

_The moment, however, that he heard Watari sigh, he knew this was going to be something he had to fight for._

_"L, you know how they feel about-"_

_"Please, Watari." L didn't resort to pleading very often, but... "I'm asking you, as __**Lawliet**__, to allow me this one phone call to my friend who I haven't seen in a very long time."_

_Desperate times called for desperate measures. _

_Watari shook his head as he passed the phone over to L, the whispered 'I'm going to catch hell for this.' going unnoticed under his breath._

_"I'll make sure the call can't be traced, but keep it short, L..."_

_L simply smiled as he began dialing the number. _

* * *

_"We're in London, I just want to see him for-"_

_"L, I'm sorry." Watari gave the 18 year old raccoon eyed detective a stern look as he crossed his arms across his chest. "I gave you two as much time together as I could, but anymore would jeopardize this case and his studies. Don't you want him to do well, Lawliet?"_

_The young teen nodded hesitantly as he began picking at the sugar cubes in front of him. "But, it will only be for a short while. Can't I at least call him, or send him some sort of correspondence?"_

_Watari sighed as his posture sagged from its authoritative position. "Then what, L? Do you really think that would satisfy young Yagami-kun?"_

_L stared down at the floor as he plucked up the case files on the table in front of him, not even bothering to respond to the question they both knew the answer to. It wouldn't make Raito-kun that much happier, just to read some letter that was probably full of crap anyway._

_"L... You know if I could, I-"_

_"It's alright, Watari." L interrupted before his 'care taker' could get too sentimental. "I'll get back to my cases now."_

_As the older man nodded sadly and quietly left the room, L's fingers clenched the folders they held meticulously._

_Some days, he didn't even know why he even tried to bother. _

* * *

_The dark shadows of the room taunted the 19 year old detective as he watched his suspect for anything incriminating. Dark rings hung from the boy's midnight eyes as his gaze slowly traveled away from the multiple monitors and down to a small envelope that innocently lay to his left side. _

_**To: Lawli**_

_**From: R.Y.**_

_Wide eyes blankly stared at the envelope, fingers twitching as they reached for the simple white wrapping, wondering what was inside..._

_"Achoo!"_

_L, unexpectedly startled, turned his eyes back to the monitors. The man on the screen sniffled as L blinked, turning his attention back to the situation at hand._

_The envelope continued to sit there, ignored for the rest of the night. _

* * *

L put his head down as he brought his knees closer to his chest and shut his dark eyes.

"L?"

"I can't..." L stopped what he was saying and looked at Watari, on the verge of being teary eyed. The older man looked on confusedly as L blinked out of his daze. The 20 year old detective suddenly got up from his chair and stood straight up, his eyes matching Watari's own pair. "I need to speak to Raito-kun."

Watari began to shake his head, ready to tell the young man the same thing he had been telling him for the past four years, when suddenly-

"It wasn't a request, Watari."

Watari stared in shock as the orphaned genius turned famous detective stalked away, his brilliant mind set on his destination.

'I'm coming, Raito-kun... and I won't let you down this time.'

* * *

Continued in next chapter...

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyway):

Badinage: Playful talk back and forth: Banter.

* * *

Omg, I think this is getting a little out of control. A little sympathy for L, now? Less killy-killy, more lovey-lovey for our fav. detective? ((Hopes for much love on this chappie, and hopes she didn't disappoints)) And ignore the poison jargon... I think it's obvious I don't know what I'm talking about. o.o;;;


	21. Badinage

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

_21. Badinage: Playful talk back and forth: Banter. _

_Italics: Flash back (For last chapter as well) _

* * *

Halls drenched in crimson surrounded the young Yagami Raito, as he navigated his way down Whammy's many corridors. Obscured spots of light speckled the brown eyed boy's face as the moon raced past the shadows of the many tree branches and lit the dark passages of the school.

It was quite easy to tell that the teenage genius spent many a night going through the halls of the orphanage at the dead of night.

A shiver raked Raito's body as the sensation of being watched crawled up the boy's spine, yet not actually seeing anyone in the vicinity after a moment of glancing about. Over a week had past since his last meeting with L, and he hadn't seen the man since. Surprise, sur-fucking-prise. He'd be shocked to see the 20 year old within the next five years if he was lucky. 

Mahogany eyes darted back and forth as the 13 year old reached his destination. The word 'Conservatory' lay written in bold letters across a metal door as Raito grabbed the door's handle, and roughly pulled it open. 

The scent of Marigolds and Lilies and many other flowers invaded the boy's nostrils, as a feeling of nostalgia encompassed the boy's being. Without knowing it, a smile crept upon the young genius lips.

This had been both L's and his own secret haven on nights they could not find rest (which for L, was almost every night) or simply had too much on their minds. This place, where flowers continued to grow all year long, and memories were scattered along each reoccurring leaf, was where both boys (though usually it was Raito) could explode without having to worry about who would find them. It was their own world, and one Raito still cherished to this day.

* * *

_"God, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!" Yagami Raito paced within the small spaces between all the plants surrounding him as a pair of cool black eyes watched him religiously. A thumb rested squarely on the other boy's lips as the eight year old continued to mutter profanities under his breath. _

_"Raito-chan should calm down before he manages to kill one of the poor plants with his over the top hand gestures." L Lawliet cocked his head to the side as Raito stopped his movements almost immediately and snapped his head over to where Lawliet was crouching (he refused to call that sitting). The glare resting heavily on the little boy's face did nothing to intimidate the older of the two. "I am simply stating this for the plant's health, nothing more. You may continue with your ranting if you feel it is truly helping with your coping skills." _

_Instead of responding in renewed anger, which Raito would have done any other day of the week (and the bastard knew it) the boy's body sagged, his usually straight posture hunched together in way much like his companion's, along with an equally despondent face to go with it. _

_Alarm bells rung off in Lawliet's head, the teenager knowing it was serious if Raito was willingly dropping the 'I'm so much better than you' facade. _

_"Rai-chan?" Lawliet queried softly. The boy shook his head, crossing his arms across his chest in a defensive way. "Raito-chan, please."_

_Raito still refused to respond._

_The teenager sighed as he got up from his seat and meandered over to the much smaller boy. Chestnut colored hair draped over chocolate brown eyes as spidery fingers swept past the young boy's bangs. Lawliet tilted the eight year old's chin up and tried to meet the watery gaze that continued to look at anything but his own face. _

_"Lawli..." Raito began shakily. "I don't wanna be here anymore. I, I just wanna go home! Why can't I just go home?"_

_Lawliet did not have much experience in matters of emotional breakdowns, but at this moment the impulse to empathize was far too great. Lanky arms reached around the small boy, tucking him close to their immediate person. A gasp escaped Raito's throat, but no protest was put up as the teenager squeezed the warm body closer to himself. _

_Other than the growing wet spot on his shirt, sniffles and small chocked murmurs were the only evidence that tears were actually streaming down the boy's cheeks (Raito did not cry, that was a fact). His grasp on the small genius tightened considerably as two scrawny arms wound themselves around the skinny teens waist. A warm sensation clutched the 15 year old's chest as Lawliet's obsidian eyes widened at the feeling. _

_Lawliet never knew being held could feel so good. _

_"Lawli," whispered a tiny, hoarse voice from inside his embrace, "let's run away together. Just you and me. Let's run and never look back." _

_Broken sepia eyes looked up at their only friend, knowing what his answer would be before hand, but for once (just this once) hoping he was wrong. If only the older of the two would give the ok, just say the word, everything would be fine. Everything would be-_

_"Raito, you know we can't do that." _

_Fine. _

_Disappointment filled the boy's stomach as he tightened his hold on Lawliet (his reality) before steadily letting go, the older boy's arms hanging limply by his sides. _

_"Yeah, of course..." Raito said mechanically, now regretting his emotional outburst. A cool hand came to his cheek, stroking it just ever so slightly. _

_"But maybe one day, we can leave this all behind... if only in the future." The emotionless voice simpered with something close to longing as Lawliet stared down at the boy in front of him. _

_"Together?" Raito asked shyly, which wasn't in his nature at all. _

_Lawliet smiled at the boy, the awkwardness in his features dismissed by the younger genius who was examining it._

_"Together." He echoed back. _

_Raito wiped the remaining wetness from his tears off his cheeks and grabbed the teen's hand from where it hung by his side. _

_He smiled for the rest of the night. _

* * *

Footsteps echoed within the small gardens as Raito blinked out of his thoughts and swung around, shocked at the sight that greeted him. A hunched figure stood by the door, watching him intently, before taking a couple more steps forward. A surge of anger bubbled in the 13 year old's chest as his feet immediately began to walk forward without his consent.

Damn feet. 

"What are you doing here, L?" Raito snidely called out. It didn't matter at all to him that the boy was actually _here_, when for so long he _wasn't_. He would be gone soon, and he couldn't take any goodbyes right now. "Haven't seen you in over a week. I figured you would be gone for a good three years after last week's little conversation. Good job, you managed to surprise me." 

L said nothing to the younger boy, still walking forward, oblivious to the frown on Raito's face. As he reached the confused boy, L stopped directly in front of him. Raito blinked confusedly at the 20 year old detective, but L just continued to stand there, the awkward silence hanging heavily in the air. 

"L..." Raito began unsuredly. The man seemed to be contemplating something, but Raito couldn't be sure. "L, why are you here?"

Worry began to blossom in the younger's mind, hoping this wasn't some bearing of horrible news.

"Lawli..." Raito quietly implored, now catching L's attention. One more step was taken, the few inches of height not not making even the slightest of difference as Raito tilted his head up slightly to look L up into his eyes, the worry he felt glowing on his face. 

All Raito saw was midnight black eyes before the sensation of deliciously warm lips lightly pressed against his own. Butterflies began fluttering in his abdomen as the familiar sensation of arms, now sinewed with lithe muscle, wrapped themselves around his waist as his eyes closed involuntarily. 

The lips were gone almost as soon as they had arrived, and Raito secretly mourned their loss. 

"Run away with me, Rai-chan." L pleaded quietly, as the boy rested his head against the other's chest, eyes still tightly shut as Raito tried to control the beating of his rampaging heart. "We can run away together, just you and me..."

Raito smiled unconsciously as the familiar words rang in his ears, the memory not lost on the other, as well. "Run away?"

L hummed as he nodded his head, still directly above Raito's. Raito's mind couldn't comprehend it. "Are you serious, L? Because I don't think I could take this right now."

"Raito-kun knows I do not like to repeat myself with such matters. I either mean something, or I do not." 

And that's when Raito knew this wasn't a joke. L was serious (as he was 95 percent of the time, but still!) and when L was serious, he meant business. All the anger the boy felt accumulate over the past four years began to dissolve, the true meaning of what L was saying sinking into his mind. 

But Raito wouldn't make this easy. 

A smirk played on Raito's still burning lips as he pulled away from the embrace and turned his back on the insomniac detective. 

"So you basically abandon me for almost four years, come back here, expecting me to just act the part of the child, don't apologize for either fact and just expect to sweep me off my feet with a kiss and proposition, Mr. L Lawliet?"

The playful tone of his voice caught L by the throat, allowing a small chuckle to quietly escape the older man's lips. 

"Raito-kun sums everything up so nicely. Would Rai-chan perhaps care for a treat for his superb summarizing abilities?" L could almost see the boy bite his lip in hidden laughter without having to look at him. 

"Hm. And you call me the arrogant one." L smirked as he shoved his hands inside his pockets and silently slinked behind the younger teenager until his back was about an inch away from his chest. "I never claimed to not be otherwise, Raito-kun. But you have yet to answer me." 

Raito's body trembled from the cold as a breeze blew by from a cracked opened window. 'Don't they know that cold air is bad for plants?' Raito thought to himself. Equally cold hands traced up bare, short sleeved clad arms as L placed his head against Raito's. "Raito-kun..."

"Anywhere you go, L, you know I want to go too." Raito finally turned around within L's embrace and smiled crookedly. "I'm surprised, though. Watari hasn't chased you down by now, and usually he has you by an invisible leash. Aren't you worried that they-"

"You don't have to worry about that." L interrupted. "I have a plan, and if all go's well, we will never be bothered by those people again. Now, if you would kindly run to your room and pack your things..."

Raito blinked before quickly nodding in acceptance. Both boys snuck out of the conservatory and into the main corridor, Raito looking a L for a clue. He had a feeling this had to be done quickly, or else things would not go the way L wanted them to. 

And that was unacceptable. 

"I will meet Raito-kun at the tennis courts and we will rendezvous from there." L whispered before they both quickly went in different directions; Raito, to his room and L, to get their escape en route. 

The 13 year old genius gathered only the essentials, along with an old picture of his family. He did not even look back as he quietly shut the door and ran down the dim corridor. Stealthily, Raito made his way to the entrance of the orphanage and crept out of the building, only to begin running at a break neck speed towards the other end of his destiny. 

The familiar lanky form greeted his sight from a distance as he ran even faster. The boy skid to a halt as he saw L gazing at the scenery around him, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. 

"L?"

L turned to Raito, slowly coming out of his self-induced trance. "Is Raito-kun ready? After this, I doubt either of us will be able to return to this place unscathed." 

Raito nodded without hesitation, this time even more fervently than the last. L grabbed the boy's hand and began leading him away from the orphanage. "Raito-kun will not miss Whammy's at all?"

"No." Raito responded quickly.

L glanced at the boy over his shoulder, noting the way Raito kept his gaze towards the ground. "Why?"

Raito blushed prettily, keeping his eyes away from L's person. "Because there's nothing worth missing there that I don't already have with me."

L turned forward as a light shade of pink dusted his own pale cheeks. If this was how Raito affected him now with his innocent words and gestures...

Dear God, (which there was a 48 percent chance there was one) help him.

Raito smiled to himself as L continued to lead them to their unknown destination, wondering just what the future would bring with this eccentric ex-detective by his side. 

'Finally... I'm home.'

* * *

Omfg, I think I'm pooped. ((stares at readers)) Are you satisfied? And no, this is not the end of this au. You'll know when it's the end. Muahaha. But, as you can see, Chibi!raito and Teen!L have now transformed to RenegadeOrphans!raito and L. Show some love, yes? 

And by the by, I am thinking about turning one of my au's into a full length, multi-chaptered story. I think I know which I would like to choose, but I want to hear the reader's opinion. Please let me know which au you would like to see into a separate story in a review or pm if you would like! (and no, every single one is not an option, just your fav. would be nice. o.o) 


	22. Open Handed

* * *

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

22. _Open-handed: Generous_

* * *

Dark eyes broodily stared at the hunched figure in front of them, silvery white hair cascading over said eyes in a mixture of tussled curls. A toy army figurine lay clutched within the small boy's arms as the man in front of the child continued to ignore him with a passion. He could feel the love.

"What are you doing?" Nate asked straightforwardly, masking all of the hesitation the boy felt at the moment. The man's hand twitched at the sound, as their meticulous two-finger grip on their paint brush tightened in just the slightest of fractions.

If Nate thought he was weird, L was on a completely different plane of strange.

"Painting." L stated unnecessarily. The canvas in front of him was blank, however, completely devoid of any color other than white.

The boy was distracting him, of course, and L didn't take too well with meaningless distractions.

Where the Hell was Raito when you needed him?!

"Oh." Nate quietly said.

A moment of silence.

'Yes, stay silent and out of the way, you creepy child of the corn! Inspiration, here I come!'

"When is daddy coming home?" The hushed, monochromatic voice questioned.

L's eyebrow twitched.

Sigh. "When both Mihael is done clothes shopping and Mail has completed purchasing the new video game he just 'had to have in order to just survive.' Your father should be home after all this has been managed." L answered blankly. L couldn't see the boy, but he did manage to hear the shuffling of sandal-clad feet making their way to the other side of the studio. L glanced over his shoulder, staring at the small boy as he sat at the farthest corner of the room. Nate began silently playing with his multitude of (Mostly Raito-bought) toys and action figures.

This was supposed to be L's alone time, where he could work uninterrupted without any disturbances whatsoever, but noooooo...

He got stuck with the most annoying (and creepy! don't forget creepy!) kid on the planet. And why was that?

_"You don't spend enough time with the kids, Lawliet!" Raito angrily snapped as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Especially with Nate! It's as if you have something against him in particular..."_

_'Against one of the original 'Village of the Damned''s own children? Now why would I have a problem with that creepy little brat?' L grumbled silently to himself. Saying so out loud, however, was most definitely not an option. He did want to get laid tonight, after all. _

_Thus, the words that would come out of the 31 year old's mouth would haunt him for the rest of the day, making the stoic artist even more misanthropic than he already was. _

_"What would make Raito-kun happy with the situation?"_

_The manic gleam in the younger man's eye did not bode well for L Lawliet. _

_Not well at all. _

Now here he was, trying to get to work and not being able to - all for some kid that gave him the hee-bee-jee-bee's.

Hmph.

Stupid Raito and his 'parental concerns.' What did he know, anyways?

* * *

**_A Few Hours Earlier..._**

_"So I'll be back in a few hours, ok? It shouldn't be so bad, right?" Raito smiled angelically at his youngest child and... well, he guessed L could be considered the oldest of the four. Just with... side benefits. _

_Such as being able to sleep with said 'daddy.' That was normal, right?_

_Raito knelt in front of Nate, his eyes softening at the sight of his son pouting at him, even if it was all very subtle. These two were more alike than either cared to admit. "Can't I just go with you, daddy?" Dark eyes widened slightly, the cuteness of the whole thing almost making Raito just cave in to the boy's pleading. "Please?"_

_Raito grinned once more as he wrapped his arms around the smallest boy, tiny hands immediately reaching to pull the 24 year old even closer. "Nate..."_

_Neither noticed L steaming angrily at the sight..._

_But Mihael and Mail sure did._

_"L looks ready to lose it, dude." Mail glanced up from one of his many brand spanking new hand held as Mihael took a step back from the seething artist. _

_"Think he'll spontaneously combust if we poke him with something sharp?" Mail joked as he began playing with his video game. Mihael would have responded back, but L's frightening glare shut him up rather quickly. _

_L was scary when he was pissed._

_"I'll be back soon, sweetie." Raito pulled back from the embrace (finally) and kissed Nate on the forehead. "Be good for Lawliet, huh?"_

_Nate nodded sullenly, reluctantly pulling back from his father. He stole a glance at the other man in the room, before going back to his toys._

_Raito walked up to L, careful to make sure both Mail and Mihael were preoccupied with something else (Mail; video games, Mihael; chocolate) before a scary look came upon his beautiful face. "L, I swear to God if you don't bond with the boy, I will make sure there is absolutely no sex of __**any **__kind for the next three months." Raito whispered harshly to the hunched over artist. "Make. Him. Feel. Loved, Damn it!"_

_L internally whimpered as Raito's glare deepened._

_His lover wasn't fucking around. _

_"I'll be back by four! See you both later!" Raito returned to his gleeful self whilst grabbing the two oldest boys and waving back at his youngest. Nate stared at the retreating figures in longing, while L's eye twitched. (It seemed to be doing that a lot lately.)_

_That was at 12:30 p.m._

* * *

It was now 3:00 p.m. and no bonding had been made in the least.

'Bonding, bonding... how the hell do you bond with someone who gives you the willies? Damn you, Raito. Damn you and your sexiness to hell.'

L sighed once more, resignedly putting down his unused brush, walking over to where the young boy played. The 31 year old sat down (crouched down) a couple feet in front of Nate, watching as the boy's droopy stare met his own wide eyed one.

O.O

o.o

O.O

o.o

This went on for a good five minutes, before L finally broke the silence.

"You don't like me."

It wasn't a question of any sort.

"And you don't like me."

Nate could give as good as he could get.

"I don't like having to share what is mine." L retorted. Nate finally blinked before tilting his head to the side. "You don't have a problem 'sharing' with neither Mihael or Mail." The silver haired boy replied.

"That's different." L stated evenly. "You're annoyingly clingy and take up almost all of his time." The 'him' in the sentence didn't have to be specified.

"I disagree." The four year old cut in. "I believe it is you who takes up most of his time. You never even let him breathe."

"Do not."

"Do to."

"Do not."

"Do to."

"Do not."

"Do to."

"We are not getting anywhere with this discussion." L opted out of the childish game, pouting slightly. "Can we simply agree to disagree?"

Nate hummed his agreement. "That makes sense."

"But you must understand, I will not let go of Raito-kun without a fight." L stared unblinkingly into the small boy's equally strange gaze, poison dripping off his every word. "He. Is. Mine."

Nate simply smiled as he picked up one of his many toys. "If you say so."

L's eye twitched once again.

"I'm home!" A tenor voice called out within the spacious apartment as the front door was slammed open. Two children's voices also invaded the formerly silent apartment as Mihael and Mail ran to L and bombarded him with their purchases and adventures of shopping. Mihael continued chewing on the expensive brand of chocolate Raito (of course) had purchased for him while entailing specifics of _why_ his chocolate was so perfect as Mail went into detail about the game he had gotten Raito to purchase (not to mention the other three he had managed to weasel out of his father, as well), but L was not paying the slightest heed to them as they both jabbered on.

"Daddy!" Came the unusually silent Nate, steadily walking to the 24 year old with multiple bags in his hands. Raito dropped the bags carelessly on the floor and picked up the small boy, holding him close to his chest.

"And how was everything while I was gone? Lawliet took good care of you, right Nate?" Nate smirked (Hah! See? creepy!) at L discreetly, both man and boy locking eyes from across the room.

"Fine. L and I had so much fun daddy, but we have lots more fun together. Just you and me." The monotone boy told his father with as much affection as he could muster (which really wasn't much, but still). Raito smiled in glee as he continued to snuggle the boy closer to his person.

Nate's smirk grew that much wider.

'Oh, this means war, you little snot nosed brat!'

L's eye twitched... again.

"L, are you ok? That eye of your's has been doing this weird twitch thing for the past month, and a half and it's kind of got me worried. I'll schedule you a doctor's appointment for next week, if you want." Raito nodded motherly at his lover.

"I'm fine!"

L's eye twitched twice this time, as Raito blinked at the man's outburst.

L was pissed the fuck off, and his magically twitching eye was the least of his problems. This kid had to be taken down a few notches, and he would do it all with a smile.

Or a well placed, wide eyed stare. Whatever.

* * *

The similarities between these two are uncanny, yes? And is it just me, or does Raito spoil the shit of these kids? Lol! Sorry I haven't been able to respond to reviews, but I was tallying the votes and working on new chapters (see, not just one!) for your reading pleasure! So far, Artist!Raito and L are in the lead. XD I'll let you guys know when the new story is out, but please, if you haven't supplied a 'vote' for the au you would like to see as a separate story and would like to, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm taking all of your comments in to careful consideration. I'll definitely respond this time guys, I promise! XDXDXDXD


	23. Hellion

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

23. _Hellion: A troublesome or mischievous person._

* * *

"You are the smartest idiot I've ever met."

An unnatural silence descended over the two immature geniuses as L chewed on his thumb thoughtfully and Raito crossed his arms across his chest and sulked.

"If it makes Raito-kun feel better, I did not mean to push him so hard that he fell into the closet, inadvertently locking us both in." L mumbled out from between his thumb as Raito's glare intensified in the shadowy darkness.

Really not the brightest thing to say to a suspected mass murderer while locked in a dark enclosed space with him... by yourself.

"Who builds closets that automatically lock from the outside when closed, anyway?!" Raito gritted out between clenched teeth.

"Err… me?"

L really was retarded when it came to interacting with people.

"Argh! Now we're stuck in here for who knows how long, since you 'oh so conveniently' decided that Watari just HAD to go out and get you some damn special cake that you don't even fucking need! We don't even know when he'll get back, let alone if he'll find us!" L blinked at the derogatory remark made towards his precious cake and frowned at the younger boy.

"I was hungry, Raito-kun." As if that was an excuse.

"It's 3 o'clock in the morning, Ryuuzaki! Who the hell gets their man-servant to get them cake in the middle of the night?" Raito exclaimed hysterically.

"I hate to sound redundant, Raito-kun, but m-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, **SHUT UP**!" Raito cut the man off before he could finish his sentence, ready to strangle the older man with his own bare hands.

'Up 15 percent, Raito-kun!' a cheerful voice sounding suspiciously like L whispered in the back of his head.

'Oh Dear God, he's infiltrated my brain.' Raito thought in horror.

Minutes passed on, as both detective and college student began to grow bored. It was then that L began to notice a slight shiver coming from the body underneath him, causing him to gaze at the 17 year old's shrouded face.

"Is Raito-kun cold?" L asked the boy innocently as Raito narrowed his eyes even further. "No, I'm not. Now stop talking to me so I may plot your demise in silence."

L grinned at Raito. "Up 14 per-"

"Don't. Even. Think about it. Because I will sure as hell shove my foot so far up your ass-" Raito didn't continue, giving L his no-nonsense glare. But really, Raito should have known by now.

His glares of death were nothing compared to L's super, duper blank stare.

And stare he did.

'Grr… creepy looking, droopy eyed gremlin.'

Raito shivers continued to intensify as both L and himself held a show down of stare/glares.

Stare.

Glare.

Stare.

Glare.

Stare.

"Alright, already! Jeez, your creepiness owns all! Are you satisfied?" L smiled creepily at the teenager, an obscured eyebrow raising slightly on his forehead.

Raito didn't want to know why.

After they had both finally settled down, L chose to then ignore Raito and began tinkling with the chain that hung between them. The insomniac detective said nothing more about the shivers, allowing the boy underneath him to wallow in his misery…

For now.

Raito sighed shakily as he tried to relax his muscles, but that was pretty difficult to accomplish with L's own body lying almost completely on top of his own. Hm… he would have thought L's temperature would be as cold as his hands, but he was actually pretty warm…

Err…

Not that he liked it, or anything!

Before Raito could scold his mind for coming up with such incriminating thoughts, a cool hand began to trail up his cloth covered side. Finger tips lightly teased the 17 year old's abdomen as another hand then came up to stroke Raito's soft features.

His shivering stopped.

'Oh fuck.' Thought the genius as L leaned forward, inches away from his face.

"L…?" Raito questioned unsurely.

"Raito-kun has stopped shivering. Why is that?" The hand that L had been using to touch Raito's stomach moved downward as the boy's eyes widened comically. "L, stop that hand this instant."

L pouted. "But I do not want to."

"L." The teenager warned.

"Raito." The detective mimicked mockingly.

A growl reverberated within Raito's chest, but immediately stopped once L smirked down at him through the dim shadows. That hand that was moving stopped in it's tracks as Raito sighed resignedly.

"You planned this, didn't you."

It wasn't a question…

But L nodded for Raito's benefit.

A sudden pause.

"I'm going to get molested, aren't I."

Once again, not a question.

L smiled cheekily in response as his hand began to trail down Raito's body once more. Raito rolled his eyes in the darkness, accepting his fate within the sugar-addicted insomniac's hands. "Well, if I'm going to get molested, I might as well make the most of it."

That was all the notice L received before Raito pulled the man down, and hungrily nipped at his lips.

Needless to say, the closet stayed silent save for a few thumps and groans throughout the night.

Watari refused to investigate the matter, once he got back from his bakery run.

* * *

((Singingly)) They're trapped in the closet! They're trapped in the closet! LOLOLOL! XD By the way... my brand new fic, 'Discordant Harmony'... first chappie is out, and ready to be read! Go now, read the story all of you have been bugging me to write! And reviews would be sexy as well. ((hums))


	24. Understand

Title: **_Che Sarà, Sarà_**

24: _Understand: To grasp the meaning of: Comprehend._

* * *

_**Bold/Italics: Dream Sequence**_

_Italics: Flashback_

* * *

"_**You're stalling." **_

_**L blinked down at the voice underneath him, trying to decipher the meaning of such cryptic words. Raito's warm brown eyes solemnly stared up at the older man, tightly holding onto the other's shoulders so that his body continued to stay closely intertwined with his own. **_

"_**What does Raito-kun mean?" L hesitantly confessed to his lack of comprehension. Raito gently smiled up at L, as the other man's cutely confused expression made him want to genuinely laugh. "You know what I mean, Lawliet. You just refuse to see it with plain eyes." **_

_**L's eyebrows furrowed onto themselves as Raito leaned up and nuzzled his lover's neck adoringly. **_

"_**For someone usually so objective, you sure are running on only emotions for this." Raito murmured quietly from the crock of L's neck. "You continue to live in the past instead of looking towards the future…" Raito paused.**_

"_**I don't want to lose you, Lawliet."**_

_**L gently pried himself away from the younger man's grasp as Raito gazed at him with sad eyes. "What are you talking about, Raito? You're not going to lose me… not for as long as I live."**_

_**A bitter smile wrapped its away around Raito's lips as one of his hands roamed to L's face, gently stroking his pale cheek. "For as long as you live? Hm… you're lying to me, L." Before L could protest, Raito pressed a soft kiss to his lips.**_

"_**You're lying to me, because I can see you losing pieces of yourself, day by day… and quite frankly, Lawliet, I don't know what to do." Raito mumbled, his lips still in close contact with L's. **_

"_**Stay with me, Raito. That's all I-"**_

"_**But I can't, Lawliet. I can't stay with you this time, not the way you want me to." L's crushed visage met Raito's even stare, eyes blurring over with unshed tears. "You have to face it, L," Raito silently whispered as he leaned over and gently caressed L's lips once more, lingering for just a moment before pulling away slowly. L closed his eyes as he tried to keep this one moment.**_

_**Just this one.**_

"_**You have to let me go."**_

And that's when L would always wake, panting breathlessly with wide obsidian eyes… all while still trying to reach out for someone who was never there.

* * *

L sighed inwardly as he continued to walk onwards, the other patients and workers in the small hospital staring unabashedly at the strange looking man. L was not fazed in the least by such looks, however, solely concentrating on the body that still lay without movement in room 243B.

The architect meandered to the closed door and gazed at it for a moment, not at all surprised to hear the sounds of other voices coming from inside the hospital room.

However, as L reached for the cold metal handle, thoughts of how this all began trickled down his memory banks. Memories he had hoped laid long forgotten revived themselves as the voices gradually faded away…

L tried to grasp for reality, he really did. He tried not to be lead astray by such useless remembrances that caused him nothing but pain, but it was far too late for that. L let go all control and simpy allowed himself to be taken asunder.

* * *

"_You're lucky you're not heavy, you know." Raito pouted from underneath the skinny man as L pinned the former effortlessly onto the mattress. _

"_If I'm not heavy, then why don't you just push me off?" L smirked down at Raito as a heavy set glare was directed his way. "Because you also happen to be freakishly strong. What were your parents, anorexic body builders?" _

"_Ha, ha. Very funny." L replied dryly. "Let's see if you'll be making those jokes once I start pounding you into the mat-"_

"_Daddy!!" An uncharacteristic holler echoed within the spacious bedroom as a silvery haired six year old ran into the room and quickly slammed the door shut. L's equilibrium was thrown off kilter, causing the man to tilt to the side and crash unceremoniously to the floor. Raito quickly glanced at the man to check if he was alright, but smothered a grin once he saw the other's eyebrow twitch. _

_Priceless._

_The boy then scampered over to his light haired father that still lay on the bed and smothered himself onto his chest. _

_L sighed in resignation._

_Raito simply smiled down at the his youngest son. _

"_Nate… what did you do to Mihael now?" Raito rolled his eyes as the young boy attempted to appear innocent in front of his father. L finally got off the floor and laid down beside Raito as L gave his son his own stern stare. _

"_Well," Nate began. "I may or may not have thrown out all of Mihael's hidden chocolate out the window after he sat on my new Power Ranger's action figures and crushed them completely."_

_Raito's eyes widened as L exasperatedly rolled his eyes. _

_Just what they needed, an even more agitated Mihael on their hands._

"_NATE!" _

_This time, Raito was the one who sighed. _

_Hurricane Mihael came rushing into the room, jumping on top of the bed, ready to rip his little brother's head off. A look of pure fury encased the 10 year old's face as his hands clenched themselves repeatedly. "He threw away all my chocolate!" Mihael cried out with no hesitation whatsoever. _

_But Nate was not one to be totally blamed. _

"_You sat on my toys and crushed them to death with your huge butt!"_

"_I do not have a big butt, you retarded sloth!"_

"_Daddy! Mihael just called me a retarded sloth!"_

"_He said I had a big butt!"_

"_That's cuz you do!" _

"_Why you little-!"_

"_That's enough." L's voice echoed through out the room as both boy's froze, one inside his daddy's arms and the other on top of his legs. "Apologize to each other, right this instant."_

"_Aw, but I don't wanna-"_

"_He's an idiot, that's not my fault-"_

"_I __**said**__, you should apologize… now." L's no nonsense tone ended the complaints rather quickly. _

_Both boys knew that what their father said was final, and that was that. _

"_Sorry." Mihael said first after a moment of tense silence. Nate nodded in accidence. "I apologize as well." The smaller boy responded back. _

_They both pouted as they were ordered out of the room. _

"_Now…" L finally got his chance to leer at Raito, "where were we?"_

_Before L could make his move, Raito jumped out of the bed and strolled over to their closet. L pouted as he sat in bed frustratingly. "We," Raito sang out, "are not doing anything. I, however, am going to the store while you stay here with the children."_

_L really should have seen that coming. _

_"You spoil those boys rotten, I do hope you know that." Raito grinned over his shoulder, one hand planted on one of his narrow hips. _

_Damn him for being so beautiful._

_"Yup." _

_"Why don't you wait until tomorrow? It's not as if they will perish if they do not get their replacement toys and candy right away." L complained grudgingly as Raito sent him a dubious expression. _

_"This coming from the self proclaimed sugar addict who can't go a hour without his fix?"_

_Touché_

_L got up from his spot on the bed and wandered over to where Raito was still changing. "At least allow me to accompany you. I'll call Watari and he can watch them for the time we are gone." _

_Raito shook his head as he slipped his long sleeved black shirt over his head. "I want this to be a surprise. You know how they get when they start anticipating things."_

_L nodded in response. _

_Those kids could get crazy when they knew their daddy was going to spoil them._

_"I suppose you will also be purchasing that new video game Matt has been trying to coerce us into buying?"_

_Raito zipped up his khakis and reached for his shoes while leaning on their bureau. "You suppose correctly."_

_"And I cannot dissuade you from going today?" L quieried out of mock-innocence. _

_"Nope. Now get out of the way, Quasimodo." Before L could grab him, Raito slipped by his lover and jogged for the door. He had almost made it towards the exit, but was suddenly pulled back and twisted around, colliding with the wall beside their door. _

_L did not even give the man a chance to breathe as he dove in for his lover's succulent lips, coaxing Raito's own to let him inside. Raito parted his lips without an ounce of hesitation as L delighted in the other man's taste, his hands pulling Raito's face closer to his own as Raito wrapped his arms around his waist. _

_They finally parted after a couple of moments of bliss, slightly heavier breathing filling the small span of silence between them. _

_"I'll see you later, then?" Raito grinned at L as the other man's hands slowly dropped to his sides. _

_"Of course, Raito-kun." _

But later never came.

* * *

L blinked as his surroundings changed, the sterile environment around him breaking the fragility of the long lost memory.

'I can still remember what cologne he was wearing that day...' L thought absently as he turned the door handle and entered inside the room, letting one more day slip by.

**_"You're stalling..."_**

Of course he was.

He knew what he would have to do eventually...

"Father..." Three pairs of equally sad eyes stared up at their father as an elderly man stood beside them.

Eventually just didn't have to be today.

* * *

Continued in the next installment...

Sneak Peek (at the word, anyways):

Cross: To lie, or lay across; also: intersect.

* * *

This is what happens when you write a depressing chapter while listening to 'Final Distance' on repeat by Utada Hikaru. Not cool, dude. Not cool at all. Now **I'm **anticipating what's going to happen in the next chapter. Jesus, excited about my own au. o.o


	25. Cross

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

25. _Cross: To lie or lay across; also: intersect._

* * *

L still didn't understand how everything had happened.

One moment, Raito had been with him, still living among them happily. The next...

He was gone.

Gone.

As in, _**not here.**_

'But,' a voice would always most certainly whisper in the back of L's head, 'he is still in there somewhere. He'll wake up soon, he just has to.'

As time went on, that voice seemingly got smaller and smaller and smaller...

Until it got to the point that L just didn't even hear it anymore.

* * *

_"Father, where did daddy go?" A presumptuous Matt asked the older man as he continued to play his PS3 on the newly bought hi-def. television Raito had just bought for him. Really, his lover went to the next level with these kids when it came to spoiling them. _

_"Out." L replied blankly as he sat on the couch in his peculair way while reviewing more plans from his job. Matt grinned as he managed to beat the crap out of the monster on the screen and pressed pause. The red headed boy turned his head to face his slightly broody parent. _

_"He went to get us more stuff, huh?"_

_Ah, how eloquent his middle child was. _

_'And perceptive.' L thought absently._

_L put down the papers and tilted his head as the insomniac allowed his vacant stare to wander to the boy across from him. "Maybe. Now stop asking questions, I'm trying to concentrate."_

_The sounds coming from the television resumed as that signaled the end of the conversation. _

_Before L could pick up from where he had left off with his paper work, muffled sounds of yelling and random 'thumps' started resonating from Mihael's room, just up stairs. The older man sighed as he got up and went to investigate, the most likely violent, matter. _

_Raito would kill him if he saw either boys covered in scrapes and bruises, after all._

_L calmly opened the door, the screeches suddenly halting at the intrusion. The sight of both Nate and Mihael trying to choke each other greeted his vision, as both boys froze on the ground, trying not to get their father angrier than he already probably was. _

_L's eyebrow twitched once, the only clear sign of his annoyance. _

_"Nate... Mihael... Both of you are to clean up this-" A pigsty was the only word accurate to describe Mihael's formerly neat room. "Mess. You will neither get any sweets or toys until this is accomplished. Afterwards, both of you are grounded for the rest of the weekend... exclusively in your own rooms. Have I made myself clear?" _

_Both boys pouted, but did not argue with the man, quickly scampering off each other and clearing up the trashed bedroom. L sighed once again, leaving the room but still keeping the door wide open. _

_'Just in case.' L knew how bad those two could get when Raito wasn't in the house._

_WWIII was resting precariously right in his own home. _

_'Now back to my work...' L was down the stairs and almost to the couch, ready to continue with his former analysis, when the phone then began to ring._

_And ring, and ring, and ring, and ring. _

_L sighed once more, just for the sake of it all. _

_"Father, the phone!" All three children cried out simultaneously. _

_The 31 year old rolled his eyes as he grabbed the phone. _

_"Hello." L's voice remained perfectly neutral..._

_"Lawliet? Its, it's me, Soichirou, Raito's father! You need to- you need to get to the hospital right now! Raito's just been shot!" _

_Until those next words shattered the floor under his feet, and he fell._

_L didn't hear the phone clatter against the hardwood floor, as Raito's father's voice continued to call out his name through the phone. _

_L didn't hear his children's voices, as Mihael and Nate ran down the stairs and Matt neglected his video game, all of them trying to ask him what was wrong, and why 'father looked like he was ready to cry?'. _

_L didn't hear the door slam open, as Watari entered the house in a frenzy, eyes wide open with desperation. _

_**"Raito's just been shot!"**_

_Raito had been..._

_What?_

_**"Raito's just been shot!"**_

_No. No. No. No. No. No. No. NO!_

_He must have heard wrong, because there was no way..._

_Unfamiliar tears began to pour down the architect's face as multiple arms began to pull at him, trying to put him back together. _

_But that wasn't possible, because..._

_**"Raito's just been shot!"**_

_"We need to get to the hospital immediately, Lawliet! There's no time to waste!" Watari's voice cut through the fog of shock floating in L's mind as he absently nodded in agreement. _

_The children looked on confusedly as Watari simply shook his head and grabbed L by the arm and began leading him and the kids out of the house. _

_**"Raito's just been shot!"**_

_Hadn't his life been so close to perfection? Hadn't everything made so much sense? _

_**"Raito's just been shot!"**_

_What had happened?_

* * *

"Hello, L." Watari greeted the man with ease, a sad smile perched on his elderly face. L nodded his own greeting back, allowing his children to flock to him with their hugs and choruses of 'hello, father!'

But L still did not say a word.

The architect sat down on one of the vacant chairs beside Raito's bed and pulled his gaze to the comatose man.

"Have there been any changes?" L finally asked quietly. Watari grimly shook his head as L ducked his head down, not wanting to appear weak in front of his children.

_What had happened?_

"The doctor came in while you were at work, though." Watari informed the sullen dark haired man. Nearly completely black eyes trailed over to where the older man was standing, letting him know that he had his attention. "He says that he wishes to speak to you about Yagami-kun's condition once more."

L clenched his fists in distain. "My opinion will not change."

"Never the less," Watari countered, "it is best to listen to both sides in order to accurately assess the situation. I believe I taught you that first and foremost."

"Are you saying that I have not properly responded to this... situation, as you put it, as I should have?" L's voice was the coldest it had ever been.

"I believe, Lawliet, that for once, you are listening to your heart instead of your mind, and for that I can not fault you." Watari walked around the bed and sat down next to L. "However, listening to what the doctor has to say is vital. Would you like Yagami-kun to stay like this forever, L? Would it please you to see him this way... for the rest of your own life?"

A deadly silence overcame the room as the three boys solemnly gazed at their father without saying a word.

L got up from his chair and sat on the bed, leaning towards the young man still laying there.

"Six Months, Lawliet. How much longer will you wait L?" Watari's voice drifted to the back of his head. L only concentrated on the feel of Raito's skin against his hand. This was his own punishment. To watch his lover slowly decay in this horrendous place. He wondered how things got this far; how his hope vanished so suddenly. Yet, everything all pointed back to one fact.

In the end...

_**"Raito's just been shot!"**_

_What had happened?_

L only had himself to blame.

* * *

Continued in the Next Installment...

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyways):

_Repose: To lay at rest._

* * *

And still I leave you at a cliffie. Pretty mean, huh? Oh well... And surprise! We're at the halfway point of this one-shot collection. Get excited.


	26. Repose

Title: **_Che Sarà, Sarà_**

26. _Repose: To lay at rest._

* * *

"_You knew…"_

"…_yes."_

"_You knew and didn't say a word?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

"_You signed my son's death warrant, L Lawliet, and didn't even say anything… not even to my own son. The one you 'supposedly' loved."_

"_Please, I didn't-"_

"_You didn't, what Lawliet? You didn't tell us your former obsessive stalker was out of prison? You didn't warn Raito of what could have happened to him, just being by your side? What if something had happened to the children, Lawliet? How do you think Raito would have felt, having to watch one of his own children go through this?!"_

"_I'm sorry… I'm just so sorry…"_

"_Sorry isn't going to bring my son back from that coma."_

"_No…"_

_**Why didn't you say anything?**_

_I just couldn't…_

"_And that's what makes this your fault, L. You didn't think, and in not doing that, you killed my son."_

* * *

"_**What's the matter, L?" Raito's caramel brown eyes softened as the man's hand came up to caress his face. L had tears falling down his cheeks as he tilted his head towards the contact. **_

"_**This is different than the other times I've seen you…" Raito smiled as he nodded silently. "You've realized what it is that's holding you back."**_

_**L's lower lip quivered as he grasped Raito's form and held it tightly to his own. Watery obsidian eyes closed as L laid his head on Raito's bare shoulder. "It was my own mistake, and you're paying because of it."**_

"_**Lawliet…" Raito sighed in his ear.**_

"_**I should have told you that he was out of jail on parole! That he was free to do what he wanted! But I just… I thought that if I didn't even talk about it, maybe it would just… disappear." L hesitated as Raito leaned forward and held him back. "I didn't think he would hurt you, Raito."**_

"_**You just thought he would come after you? And that's ok?" Raito shook his head in exasperation. "You are such a martyr, you know that?" **_

_**L sniffled loudly. **_

"_**You didn't know Beyond was going to do this, L. Stop blaming yourself for trying to live in the present. Who can blame you for wanting to leave the shackles of the past behind you and build a new life?" L scoffed.**_

"_**And it's because I tried to live in the present that Raito-kun is not with me now." L ripped himself away from Raito's hold and stood apart from the other man's warm embrace. Sobs began to tear themselves from L's throat as the man was brought to his knees by the powerful onslaught of emotion he was finally letting himself feel. Shaky hands half-hazardly attempted to clutch at the smooth surface underneath them, but to no avail. **_

_**Raito quietly knelt next to the architect and silently watched him cry for a moment. Hands once again reached for L, this time grasping onto the man's face as they tried to wipe away the still running tears. L gazed up questioningly at his lover, trying to calm himself unsuccessfully. **_

"_**Raito-kun should hate me, especially in my own dreams." **_

_**Raito smiled at the remark, seemingly laughing it off without a thought. **_

"_**Well, that should show you just how much I love you… even from inside the recesses of your own mind." L's tears finally began to subside as Raito's slow caresses began to lull him away…**_

"_**You should rest, Lawliet. You haven't actually done so in such a long time."**_

"_**But, Raito-kun-"**_

"_**Rest, Lawliet. You've been carrying this blame for far too long… lay it to bed, L." Raito once again grabbed his lover and allowed him to lean his weight on top of him, as he pulled them both to the floor below them. "Let me carry these burdens for once, even if I'm not there when you wake…"**_

And for once, L slept fitfully for the rest of the night, no nightmares keeping him away from the land of dreams.

* * *

L stared down at Raito's unconscious form, simply watching. The children were not with him, all three at school. They had promised to come straight after school, not willing to let their father be alone for any amount of time with their comatose parent. L had simply nodded at their promises with a blank look on his face.

It was better this way. He would rather not them be here for what he was about to do.

"L-san?"

Raito's father, Dr. Kobayashi, entered the room as L buried his head further into his knees.

"I need to speak with you about Raito-kun…"

The doctor gazed solemnly at the broken man in front of him.

"Of course, L-san."

* * *

Continued in next installment...

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyways.):

Sequence: Series.

* * *

Hmm... I didn't even see that coming. Or maybe I did. o.o You will never know... unless I tell you. See ya next chapter.


	27. Sequence

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

27. _Sequence: Series_

_Italics: Flashbacks_

* * *

It was dark…

Too dark.

Where was everybody?

'_Who __**is**__ everybody? What am I doing here?'_

"Hello?"

Nothing but silence met the man's ears as he continued to float within the heavy darkness, struggling to grasp onto something (_anything_) to keep steady.

'_Who am I?_' The man thought to himself. '_Where am I going?_'

The man blinked as he tried to recover any memories within his reach.

_**Lawliet…**_

'_Who?_'

"Is that… me?"

_**Lawliet…**_

'_That name… sounds so familiar to me…_'

* * *

_Auburn hair was brushed away from his face as Raito stood up from his chair and collected his belongings. The nineteen year old sighed as he exited the college classroom and made his way outside, where girls were, once again, waiting to bombard him._

"_Oh my gosh, Raito-kun! I just heard that you've hit number one in the class already! Aren't you so excited!" A particularly bouncy red head shrieked at him. _

"_Of course he is, why wouldn't he be?" A dark haired girl smacked the aforementioned red head on the back of her cranium and then smiled beatifically at Raito. "You definitely deserve it, Yagami-kun." _

_Raito internally sighed, but smiled gratefully outwardly, so as to keep up with his charming persona. "Thank you very much."_

'_It's not as if I didn't know that already…' Raito thought irritably, annoyed by the groupies still harping around him. As Raito was stepping out of the circular haze of women, trying to hurry his way out of the crowd, he collided into another body in front of him, sending him flying to the ground. _

"_Oh my gosh, are you alright, Raito-kun?" Cried one of the many girls. _

'_Am I the only one that fell, here?' The brown eyed man blinked as he looked up at the person that was still dazedly staring down at him. 'Woah…'_

_Dark, almost completely black eyes met his own gaze as the man above him began to steadily regain his footing. As he got back on his feet, he held his hand out to the college student still on the ground, gawking. _

"_Will you be getting up anytime soon? My hand is actually getting a bit tired…" The man's smooth baritone voice awoke Raito from his own daze, grabbing the man's hand without a second thought. The 19 year old bowed quickly, ignoring the girl's behind him glaring at the stranger. _

"_I'm sorry, I should have been watching where I was going." Raito's voice lilted with a almost-sincere apologetic tone, though Raito knew it was about as fake as he got. _

_Hmph, him watch where __**he **__was going, indeed. _

_The other man tilted his head to the side, his dark hair lightly obscuring his midnight eyes. _

"_Yes, you weren't." _

_Raito blinked._

_The girls blinked._

_The other man simply smirked, his eyes still on Raito. _

"_Yagami Raito, correct?" The other man asked._

"_Yes?" Raito felt confused, but did not show such an emotion. _

'_How the Hell does he know my name?' _

"_I've heard a lot of about you… Well, I shall be on my way. Until we meet again." The strange, dark haired man left as quickly as he came, leaving Raito in a wake of confusion. _

'_Until we meet again…?' Thought the college student. _

_Well, this was different._

* * *

_Raito blinked._

_It seemed he did that a lot around L Lawliet. _

_L smiled awkwardly at the younger man, delighting in the fact that he managed to one-up him yet again._

"_This is not fair, L." Raito frowned as L quite a bit away from him… just to make sure Raito wouldn't try to hit him again, of course._

_Who would have thought the golden boy of the Yagami family was so violent? _

"_I don't see how, Raito-kun. We agreed that who ever was to win the chess match would choose how we would spend the evening." Oh, this was so much fun. Antagonizing Raito always bought L so much joy. _

"_But… this? This just isn't right." Raito attempted to get his way out of the situation the only way he knew how._

_Bringing out the puppy dog eyes._

"_Raito-kun knows he can not sway me with that face." _

"… … …" _Raito said nothing, allowing his eyes to plead his own case._

"_Gr…" _

"_Please, L." Raito then brought out his equally deadly pout. _

"… … _fine. We shall do something else then." Raito grinned enthusiastically. _

_Another battle won. He had L wrapped around his little finger…_

_Not that he would tell the older man that._

* * *

"_You're doing it wrong, Raito-kun." _

"_No, I'm not."_

"_Yes, you are." _

"_Ok, prove it."_

"_Well, first off, you have the zipper on backwards."_

"… … … _whatever."_

"_Raito-kun is so stubborn."_

"_Hmph."_

* * *

"_How long have we been dating now, Lawliet." Raito cuddled up close to his boyfriend, delighting in the other man's warmth. L pretended to ponder on the question, languidly stretching out his arms to encompass the other man. _

"_I suppose we have known each other for about 2 years and have been 'dating' for about a year and a half Raito-kun. Why do you ask?" The 21 year old buried his face within the crook of his lover's neck, not quite believing he was about to take this step. _

_But really, 2 years of knowing each other, let alone dating?_

_It had to be said eventually, right? _

"_Would it freak you out if… I…" Raito paused as he collected himself, not willing to chicken out at the last minute. _

"_Raito-kun?"_

"_Would it bother you if I said I loved you?"_

_The grip on Raito's body increased as the young man held his breath, waiting for a response._

"_I…no. It doesn't bother me." L buried his head within Raito's reddish-brown locks. _

_To Raito's dismay though, he was silent for the rest of the night._

* * *

"_Raito-kun knows that I love him, correct?" The young man rolled his eyes in exasperation. _

"_It seems those have been the only words out of your mouth for the past two weeks. What did you do, L?" The dark haired man grinned at his boyfriend of three years, his plan going exactly as expected. "I did not do anything, Raito-kun." _

_The dubious expression on the other man's face told L he did not believe him at all. _

"_Well… I did do one thing… but I do not know how Raito-kun will react." _

_He knew he had Raito's full attention now._

"_L…" The 22 year old got up from his chair and walked over to the older man. _

"_Raito-kun graduates from law school this year, and will continue to pursue becoming a lawyer, correct?" Raito nodded, knowing that he was getting out earlier than most, due to his beginning college at a younger age. "And Raito will be looking for a permanent state of residence as well." _

_Raito's heart suddenly dropped to his feet after that._

"_Yes…"_

"_Well, Raito no longer needs to worry about that." L tilted his head to the side, the architect seemingly please with himself in the worst of ways. "Because Rai-chan shall be moving in with me."_

_Was he ever going to actually make a decision in this relationship?_

"_I am, huh?" Raito narrowed his eyes dangerously._

"_Of course you will. Raito loves me, I love Raito… why wouldn't he move in with me?" L stated matter-of-factly._

_Oh, Raito wanted to say no so badly…_

_But what was the point? He already knew he was going to do it, anyways. _

_So the 22 year old sighed, smiling endearingly at L, knowing he had lost and was loving it. _

"_So when do I 'supposedly' move into your gigantic mansion?"_

_L grinned._

"_Tonight, of course."_

_Raito sweat dropped._

"_Of course…"_

* * *

"_Raito…" L paused suddenly. _

"_Yes, L?" Raito knew it was serious if L was calling him by his given name without any of the honorifics he usually attached to it. _

_The man looked almost lost._

"_Do you remember that man I introduced you to, that used to be one of my former caretaker?" Raito thought back, immediately putting a name and face to the man L was speaking of._

"_You mean Roger-san?" L nodded absently as he tugged on the sleeve of his long tee-shirt. "Yes, Raito is correct. It seems that he passed away some time of ago… two weeks, if I am not mistaken." _

_Raito gazed at his lover, generally concerned about his distant disposition. "Are you alright?"_

"_Yes, I… hm. We did miss the funeral, unfortunately, but a dilemma has been recently brought to my attention about three children he had in his care." L lifted his eyes and kept them in contact with Raito's own. "They no longer have anyone who wishes to take care of them."_

_Raito's heart broke after that. L didn't even have to finish his sentence, as Raito interrupted him. _

"_They do now."_

* * *

"_Daddy! Mihael won't stop hiding my toys!" _

"_Well, he won't stop flushing my chocolate down the toilet!"_

"_Daddy, can I have the new 'Resident Evil' game that just came out yesterday? PLEASSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE!?" _

_Oh the joys of parenthood._

* * *

_It was cold._

_The barrel was cold._

_The man's eyes…so much like the man he loved._

_Cold. _

_Everything was cold._

_And wet._

_Sticky and wet._

_Why couldn't he see?_

_Why was it so…_

_Cold._

_Pain was the last thing he felt, as Raito drifted into the darkness…_

* * *

A finger twitched.

Then two.

But neither man in the small hospital room noticed.

A fist curled into the sheets as voices became gradually louder to the younger man's ears.

"_There have been small spurts of consciousness, at least from what we can tell from the monitoring we've been doing, but we don't know how long it may be able to keep up…"_

"_Can this be considered an improvement?"_

That second voice. He recognized it.

_**Lawliet…**_

A second hand clenched after that.

Small beeps began to rapidly accelerate as both men suddenly turned towards the formerly unconscious man opening his drowsy brown eyes.

"Law… Law-li…"

L's eyes opened so wide they almost popped out of his sockets.

The doctor looked ready to faint.

"Raito…"

Raito smiled as the man shakily walked to him, still staring unbelievingly at the waking form of his lover. Arms slowly wrapped around Raito in disbelief, as L buried his face within the 24 year old's hair. Raito sighed tiredly as he trembled within the other man's lanky arms, not quite knowing what was going on, but happy to be there none the less.

"I'm so glad… to finally be home."

L grinned, gripping the man even tighter against him.

"As am I, Raito."

* * *

April fools? XD If you couldn't follow the flashbacks, it's cause they were meant to be out of order... kind of like spurts of memories coming all at once. Now stop sending me hate mail about not killing Rai-chan... I didn't so there. :p This is not the end of this au, by the way. Read: NOT THE END. Got it? Good. See ya next chapter.


	28. Cuckoo

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

28. _Cuckoo: Silly, foolish. _

* * *

Poke.

Poke.

Poke.

"Stop that."

"Why?"

A few seconds...

Poke.

Slap!

"Because I said so, that's why!"

Blink.

"... Is Raito-kun usually so snippy in the morning?"

"When said morning is oh, 3 o'clock in the morning, I'm going to go out in a limb and say YES!"

A couple seconds of blessed silence met the young man's ears, allowing him to begin the process of falling back into a pleasant slumber...

"Has Raito-kun's hissy fit passed yet?"

Sigh.

"Ryuuzaki, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Raito-kun."

"Why don't you shut the hell up and let me get some damn sleep?!"

"Because I enjoy Raito-kun's company, of course. Why else would I continue to speak with him?"

"Grr..."

"Raito-kun?"

"Oh, fuck it. You'll just keep on being an ass-hole either way. I'm going to sleep, whether you like it or not, Ryuuzaki!"

Glare. Slump. Yawn. Slowly Drifting off...

Whisper. "... hostility has risen exponentially. Up seven percent..."

Pillow Slam!

"... ... ... ... Ow."

Once again, pure silence dominated the dark room.

"Raito-kun?"

"WHAT NOW?!"

"... ... ... because of Raito-kun's attitude, now I do not wish to say."

Eye twitch.

Growl. "Ryuuzaki..."

Innocent stare. "Yes, Raito-kun?"

"Are you always this freaking annoying during the day, or does the night just amplify your already aggravating nature somehow?"

Pout. "Hmm..."

"Just go to sleep, you droopy eyed lunatic!"

A moment of consideration... before L came up with a brilliant idea.

'Maybe tonight won't be so boring after all!' Thought the sugar addicted detective.

"Does Raito-kun truly wish for me to shut my mouth so badly for the rest of the night?"

Eye roll.

"If you're just now picking this up, there's a prob-mmph!"

It was completely quiet within the small bedroom for the rest of the night, until the early morning...

Poor Watari didn't even see it coming.

* * *

Wow, now this is a drabble. Lol! This'll be all for today, but tomorrow is another day my friends. Thanks for all the reviews so far, I really do appreciate each one. And poor Watari... I think I pick on him the most in this collection. XD See ya next chap!


	29. Pose

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

29_. Pose: To set forth: Propose._

* * *

Five Days.

The boy had not called him in **five** days.

L stared at the phone, hoping that if he stared at the electrical contraption long enough, it would magically begin to ring.

Unsurprisingly, it hadn't worked for the last four days he had tried it, but he was desperate at this point.

'Ringy, ringy, phony, phony...' L mockingly thought as he crouched on the floor and kept his intense stare thoroughly on the phone.

Still didn't work.

L sighed as he thought back on the monstrous week. Between being interrupted in his previous attempts at wooing, wrecking progress in said wooing, and the monstrous classes (Raito being only in one of them and ignoring him continuously in said class), he had had no time to come in actual one on one contact with the college student.

And it was driving the professor crazy.

L thought back on the last day he had been with Raito, just after the unexpected face slam onto the floor and complete invasion of privacy, trying to see what exactly he had done wrong...

* * *

_"Ryuu has a guy over! Ryuu has a guy over!" A dark haired man jumped up and down as he clapped his hands repeatedly. L glared at the younger idiot as he squealed in joy. Raito smiled unsurely as he stood behind the professor, not sure what exactly was going on... nor wanting to.  
_

_"Uh... hello?" Raito was looking slightly creeped-out now, as the same moron who had been bouncing around stood a good five inches away from his face.. "My name is Yagami Raito. I go to To-oh University." The chestnut haired college student moved back a couple of paces and bowed as the other two men in the room looked on in complete amusement. _

_"You sure know how to pick 'em, Ryuu! This guy is HOT!" The other dark haired man wearing glasses next to him sweat dropped as the first guy continued making an ass out of himself. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Matsuda Touta! And the stiff behind me is Mikami Teru! It's so nice to meet you Yagami-san!" Matsuda quickly bowed rather sloppily._

_Mikami smiled shakily as he bowed as well. "Hello, Yagami-san. It's very nice to meet yo-"_

_"Ryuuzaki hasn't told us anything about you at all!" Matsuda cut off the other man before he could continue speaking, an irritated look spreading on the man's face. _

_"And there is a reason for that, Matsuda." L glared at both men, his aggravation at being interrupted rather noticeable... to everyone in the room, except Matsuda. "I'm sure there is, Ryuuzaki, but I guess it's null since we've met him NOW." A rather wide smile spread across the young man's face as he turned to the professor and clapped his hands together. _

_"We should all go out! I'm sure-"_

_"__**NO!**__"_

_Two sets of voices broke through the other man's train of thought, both L and Mikami looking ready to implode at the mention of even a 'double date,' let alone actually having one. L cleared his throat as Mikami took in a deep breath. "That will not be necessary, Matsuda. Both Raito-kun and I are fine."_

_The pout on Matsuda's face didn't garner any sort of sympathy from either man. _

_"Well, what do you think, Yagami-san? Wouldn't it be fun?" Matsuda sweetly asked the chocolated eyed boy. Raito seemed to be in another planet, blinking as he was finally addressed in the conversation. "Actually, I need to get going now."_

_L brought a thumb to his lips as the words fell from Raito's lips. The boy seemed distracted by something, but what, L could not say. _

_"Maybe some other time, Matsuda-san. Uh, I'll see you later, Ryuuzaki-san." _

_Raito left quickly after that, not even pausing to give the professor a second glance in his direction._

_"Was it... something I said?" Matsuda quietly commented after the college student had gone. Mikami rolled his eyes._

_"Probably." _

_L snorted in his head, knowing that wasn't the case... Matsuda was an idiot, but Raito was not one to be scared off by morons. _

_But then, what had caused Raito to leave so suddenly? _

* * *

L shook his head in frustration, picking up the phone between two digits and carefully re-dialing the number he had been calling over and over again for the past couple of days. No one had picked up so far, but that hadn't had stopped him from trying to reach the handsome student.

The phone rang for a couple of seconds, L tightening his two finger grip on the device, before a 'click' was heard and a pause of silence filled the older man's ears.

"Raito-kun?" L hesitantly replied into the phone.

Another slight pause of silence was the other line's only response.

"Lawliet-san?" Raito finally called into the phone quietly.

"Where has Raito-kun been? I have been calling him and leaving him messages, yet he has refused to even acknowledge my existence outside of classes."

L could have sworn he had heard the younger man quietly sigh into his cell phone.

"I've been busy with my school work. I still do have class work to complete besides your class." Raito snippily stated. L rolled his eyes, not believing that excuse worth crap.

"Raito-kun has the best grades of the class without even having to study. I doubt school work is what has Raito-kun ignoring my calls. He has not even stopped by my home in almost a week. Usually, you come every other night."

"I've just had a lot to do. I don't know what else to tell you."

"The truth would be nice."

"I-tch. Yeah, it would be, wouldn't it?"

"Now what does Raito-kun mean by that?"

"Don't act dumb, L." Raito reverted to his last name, without a second thought. "How much of a double standard is that? I can't lie to you, but you can say or not say whatever you want? What kind of relationship are you really looking for?"

'Oh.' L thought dumbly as Raito's heated voice hung heavily in the conversation. "Is this why Raito-kun been ignoring me? Because I refuse to disclose every single piece of information to him-"

"L, you didn't even tell your friends about me."

L snorted lightly. "I would hardly call Matsuda and Mikami friends."

"Do you socialize with them outside of whatever business you all conduct?"

"Well, yes, from time to time."

"Then they're your friends. Deal with it. How do you think that makes me feel, L? I understand not being able to say anything about it in school, but people you come in contact with that have nothing to do with the university? Am I suppose to content myself to being your dirty secret who doesn't even get to know the whole story?" Raito took a deep breath, barely restraining his anger.

"How am I supposed to open up to you, be with you, if you keep me at an arm's distance?"

L stayed quiet, not knowing what to say.

"You know what, Lawliet? When you figure out what it is you want from me, give me a call. Because these games you're playing... I just can't be a part of them anymore."

A dial tone killed the silence of the large room as L dropped the phone onto the ground.

'What I want...'

"Is you." L sadly whispered into the quiet room.

* * *

Continued in the Next Installment...

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyways):

Moonstone: A transparent or translucent feldspar of pearly luster used as a gem.

* * *

Aah! Sorry about the slight delay. I wanted this to be out like... two days ago. ((sweat drop)) Updates may lag (just a lil!) since I'm also working on DH, and those chapters take up a lot of my attention... literally. I've neglected my other au's! ((sobs)) I love you all, I promise. Hope you enjoyed!


	30. Moonstone

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

30. _Moonstone: A transparent or translucent feldspar of pearly luster used as a gem._

_Italics-**Italics/Bold: **Flashback_

* * *

Milky white shone brightly in the dim moonlight, illuminating the area around the pale stone with an ethereal shine. Hands turned the pendant that held the small gem over and over, the chain connecting to it slipping through the thin, spidery fingers like clear liquid.

_**"Lawliet-chan has always made me happy... See this pendant? It's gem shall always glisten, for as long as I love you. And I promise... it shall shine always." **_

A bittersweet smile curled around L's lips as the man's hand clutched the beautiful necklace, memories he could actually remember of the warm, sweet voice echoing within the farthest crevices of his mind.

'She was so full of life.' L thought nostalgically. 'And just so pretty, no matter how sad she was...'

* * *

_Choked sobs filled the small room, carrying throughout the apartment quite easily. A small boy, maybe five at the most, sat by the door as brown haired man with coal black eyes continued to pack his bags._

_"Please, don't leave, koishii!" said nothing as the raven haired young woman, who couldn't be more than 21, continued to cry on the bed, not even noticing the child in the room with two adults. _

_"I don't love you, Mikomi. And that child... it's like there's something wrong with him." The emotionless voice, tinted with a slight English accent, didn't even tremble as he glanced at the child in question. The boy didn't flinch as he returned his gaze evenly. "I don't have the time to deal with all this. I have a corporation to run, and quite frankly, I've had enough."_

_"But-"_

_"There's nothing more to say." _

_Dark eyes looked over at the devasted woman, no amount of sympathy conveyed in those infinite depths. Nothing else was said to the other as he picked up his bags and began to leave the room, stalling once he reached the door. Deep black eyes met another pair of almost the same identical shade. "Take care of your mother." Was the last thing the man whispered as he walked out on both mother and child. _

_Lawliet said nothing as he watched his mother continue to cry in her, and what used to be his father's, old bed._

* * *

_"Lawliet!" A young, vibrant woman with long raven black hair and sparkling hazel eyes smiled brightly as she saw her little boy run to her, his backpack almost swallowing him whole, hinting at the sheer size of what books lay inside. Shaggy ebony hair and obsidian eyes shone in the effervescent sunlight as the small, skinny child ran across the lawn and hugged Mikomi by the waist. _

_"Mother!" Came a high pitched voice, squealing in delight as the woman hugged him back. The 21 year old picked her son up with some difficulty and quickly kissed him on the cheek, before putting him on the ground once again. "And how was your day at school, son?" Mikomi asked the small boy in Japanese._

_"Ah, mother, can't we cut the Japanese out for today?" The boy pouted cutely, noticing one of their neighbors staring at them rather oddly as he walked by. "People are already beginning to stare." _

_"Then let them stare. It's not as if they have never seen a woman of Asian descent before. " Mikomi tossed her hair back as she rolled her eyes dramatically, smiling as she heard Lawliet lightly giggle. _

_The boy then sighed, adjusting his backpack on his thin, small shoulders. _

_"Come inside, koibito, I've made some more sweets for you to try!" Lawliet instantly brightened, smiling as wide as his face allowed. Mikomi lead the small boy inside rather enthusiastically, always finding her son to be the most delightful person to be around. _

_"Yes, mother! You know I always love your sweets!" _

_Lovely laughter faded into the small apartment building as the door closed with an audible snap._

* * *

_"NO!"_

_"But, Lawliet-"_

_"NO! I SAID, NO!"_

_The 32 year old woman stared tiredly at her 16 year old son, who continued to glare at her with all his might. A genius her son might be, but mature he was not._

_"You'll have to see him eventually, Lawliet. He is you fath-"_

_"I don't have to see anyone I don't want to, and you can't make me! I have absolutely no one I need to see... other than you, mother. And please, refrain from connecting that man to me in any way. He is nothing to me, and that is how it always shall stay." Mikomi sighed despondently at the teenager. _

_"You know I can't pay for your tuition, Lawliet. There's only so much both I and financial aid can provide. I know you don't like the idea-" And from the furious look on her son's face, she could tell he absolutely abhorred it, "but he __**can**__ help you."_

_"I can do it on my own..." The dark haired boy pleaded. "Just give me a chance, mother." Mikomi stared once more at her son, her mixed colored eyes glittering in the artificial light._

_"... ... Of course, son. You know I can hardly deny you anything."_

* * *

_A hacking cough cut through the air, as Mikomi tried frantically to breathe within the small gaps of wheezing. Lawliet watched tiredly from his chair as his mother fought for her next breath, not quite knowing if she would reach it. _

_"Lawliet..." A breathless voice whispered into the sterile, white room. "I want you to promise me something..."_

_"Yes, mother?" The young man blinked as his mother began to slowly sit up. _

_"When you meet that person who you know will make you happy... promise me you will not let them go."_

_Lawliet's hands tightened from their grasp on his knees._

_"Don't make the same mistakes your father and I made, Lawli. Hang on to them, with your last... breath."_

_A small pale hand reached for the necklace that had hung around her neck for years, never taking it off until this moment. The clasp slowly gave way as the shaky hands pulled away from their owner's neck and dropped the elaborate piece of jewelry into Lawliet's unsuspecting hands. _

_"Lawliet-chan has always made me happy." The whispy voice staggered a bit as Mikomi attempted to regain her breath. "See this pendant? It's gem shall always glisten, for as long as I love you. And I promise... it shall shine always..." _

_Those had been her final words to her son, as her eyes finally closed for the last, inevitable time._

* * *

_It was a dark day._

_It didn't matter that the sun was shining, or that the temperature was at a perfect 72 degrees._

_His mother was being buried to the ground, while he was still up here, in the land of the miserably living. More people than Lawliet thought would have showed up appeared at the burial service to pay their respects to the admirable woman._

_Admirable in so many ways..._

_Lawliet closed his dark eyes, imagining a different world than this. A world where his mother was still with him, still happy._

_But had his mother ever truly been happy with just him?_

_'No, she wasn't.' Lawliet thought depressingly. The last time the young man had actually seen a true geniune smile on her face had been the day before __**he **__had left._

_"Lawliet." The 23 year old froze as a familiar baritone voice, so close to his own, interrupted his train of thought. "It feels a bit strange... calling out my own name." _

_Lawliet inwardly cringed as he turned around, and faced the man that so resembled himself. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I came to pay my respects." The empty voice hollowly answered. _

_"There is no need. You did not pay such respects while she was alive, you are only insulting her by doing so while she is dead." An uncharacteristic scowl marred Lawliet's face as the other man, the __**other **__Lawliet, glared back._

_"I have just as much right to be here."_

_"Of course, the man that killed my mother would think that." That shook his 'father' quite a bit. _

_"What?!"_

_"If anyone here contributed more to her death, it was you. I am quite convinced that my mother died of heart ache, if nothing else." Lawliet's dark as night eyes narrowed as he walked closely to the other man, not even a hair's breath away from his face. _

_"You killed a woman who had done nothing but love you. I hope you can live with that."_

_As Lawliet walked away from the shell shocked older version of 'himself', clutching onto the small necklace in his palm, only one thought crawled into the lonely domain that was his mind..._

_A dark day, indeed._

* * *

_'Another day, another mind-numbing class... damn these students are getting dumber by the day.' L thought with a sigh as he entered the classroom. Of course, the students didn't know him as that._

_L Lawliet no longer existed in this plane of existence._

_As L, more widely known as Ryuuzaki, began set down his bag, but was distracted by someone walking into the front row of seats. A lithe, athletic form caught his eye, making him double glance in the person's direction._

_Golden brown chestnut locks hung around a lovely heart shaped face, almond eyes shining with outspoken brilliance. The young man, who had been the one to just enter the room, gracefully sat down within the desk in front of him, conveniently placed in the front and center of the large classroom. He began to set his things on the small tableau, obviously having a set routine when it came to class._

_L blinked at the young boy. _

_The student suddenly looked up, locking eyes with the famous professor, causing the older man's breath to hinge. _

_**"Hang onto them, with your very last... breath."**_

_The air around them seemed to still, an eternity spanning in that one second of time as ebony black met honey brown._

_That second was all L needed to know..._

_**"When you meet that person who you know will make you happy... promise me you will not let them go."**_

_He had just found his equal._

* * *

_"Raito-kun is very presumptuous." L stated glibly. Raito smiled slyly as he leaned against the wall next to him, pretending not to notice L moving closer into his 'personal bubble.' _

_"Maybe... but I know I'm right."_

_"And if Raito-kun is correct? I have made it apparent I hold romantic inclinations towards him, even if he has **not **done the same..."_

_Raito smirked as he moved before L could get any closer._

_"I guess you'll have to fight for it, won't you?"_

_L looked at Raito's retreating back, puzzled at the remark._

_'Fight for it?'_

* * *

'Fight for it...' L thought absently as twirled the necklace once more. 'Hmph. I guess I get it now. I can definitely do that.'

And with that, L got up from his spot on his couch and grabbed the phone off it's stand, dialing the familiar number once more.

"Hello?" Came a groggy voice on the other line.

"Raito-kun?"

"Lawliet-san? What are you doing calling me at..." Slight pause. "Four-thirty in the morning?"

"I need to see Raito-kun, right now."

"Right now?"

"Yes... please."

Silence was all the older man heard for a couple of seconds.

"... ... I'll be right there."

Lawliet sighed, his stance relaxing once more.

"Thank you, Raito-kun." The older man whispered into the phone's reciever.

Click.

* * *

Continued in Next Installment...

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyways):

Pressure: The burden of physical or mental distress.

* * *

Yeah... I'm pooped. Lol. I'm sorry if the whole 'Flashback' chapter seems redundant at this point, but I felt it was necessary for this AU to understand why L felt the need to shed away his name. And yes, biatches, I didn't make him an orphan in this story. Ha! Though having a super!young single mother probably isn't much better in the resources ladder. ((sweat drop)) So, was it ok? Lol!


	31. Pressure

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

31._ Pressure: The burden of physical or mental distress._

* * *

Raito was confused.

And that was a hard thing for the 21 year old to admit, mind you.

But that wasn't the point. He was irritably perplexed, and having L Lawliet calling him and giving him cryptic messages in the middle of the night were not necessary in sustaining said confusion.

At times, Raito wondered what the hell he'd been thinking in getting into this twisted relationship. It was full of complex riddles, and for each one he solved, ten more would take its place. Cinnamon eye narrowed as the young man stealthily snuck out of the house, careful not to wake any of the other Yagami residents still sleeping in their warm, comfy beds.

Raito sighed, just glad the man had had enough sense not to come knocking on his parent's door in the middle of the night. Though, knowing L, he had probably contemplated the idea for at least a moment.

That would have been an uncomfortable situation, at best.

The college student grabbed his car keys quietly off the coffee table and quickly left the ominously silent home. Raito shivered lightly as the cool night air hit his face without abandon, and steeled himself for the confrontation ahead.

Because nothing with L could ever be as simple as it should be.

Not even matters of the heart.

* * *

'Why am I here?' Raito thought to himself as he parked at the end of the seemingly never ending driveway and leaned forward, laying his head on top of the steering wheel. 'What am I getting out of this?'

Nothing, that's what.

Raito glanced over at the ignition, the temptation to leave and never look back clouding his sleep-addled mind...

But a twinge in his chest stopped him before he could even reach for the key. 'Mind over heart, mind over heart... why doesn't that apply to me anymore?'

L was draining the sanity out of the boy, little by little.

Perfectly cropped auburn hair swayed slightly as the young man shook his head and abruptly got out of the car, making his way to the front door-

Only to be faced with L himself.

"Raito-kun..." L smiled awkwardly as he stood up from his perched position on his stairs, dark eyes glittering in the absence of light.

Raito's breath caught in his throat.

'Oh yeah... that's why.'

The professor met the 21 year old student halfway, staring at him with a strange emotion evident on his slightly sunken features. The two men gazed at each other, the wind draping them in its blanketed chill, until L finally moved forward.

"Raito-kun is cold. Come, let us go inside." L grabbed Raito's hand without hesitation and pulled him up the stairs and through the entryway, his eyes still glowing with some unnamed emotion Raito couldn't put his finger on.

Something had changed in L. The question now was whether it was for the better or worst.

Raito gripped the warming palm that grasped his own, a pool of anxiousness settling within the pit of his gut. Tired eyes blinked groggily as L sat him down on the couch in the living room and draped a light blanket over his lap. The older of the two then surprised Raito by laying his directly across the brown eyed man's lap. Cheeks flushed a deep crimson red as L snuggled into his thighs.

"Law-liet..." Raito sleepily stammered as he unconcsiously leaned back into the warm cushions underneath him. "What are you... doing?"

L brought a thumb to his lips as a smile bloomed on his face, different from all the others Raito had seen. "Hmm... I like it when Raito-kun says my name like that. It makes me feel... special when he does so."

Darkened amber eyes widened as the blush that had stained his tanned cheeks intensified.

This was not what he had been expecting from the usually stoic professor.

'Really, this was supposed to be his time to logically explain just why we either should or should not be together whilst continually bumping heads with each other on what was right or wrong about all this...'

Yes, that was more L's style when it came to confronting both his and Raito's own emotions. The man was so dispassionate about everything, it made Raito wonder if he had _**ever**_ felt intensely about anything in his life. What did L really know about things like loss and despair? And why did the professor keep himself so disconnected from everyone?

Even Raito, the person with whom he held "romantic inclinations" for.

L was giving Raito a thousand tiny, jagged pieces of porcelain, expecting the younger man to re-create a work of art, with all the vital parts lost within the mutinous pile. And the college student didn't know if he had the patience for it.

Light brown eyes drooped as the tiredness Raito felt melted into his weary bones. "L, why..." The young man trailed off uncertainly as L then turned his gaze towards Raito's face, a rosy pink shading his own pale cheeks. "I am about to admit something to Raito-kun that is very dear to me. And somehow, I knew I could not wait until morning to tell him."

A bony hand drifted up to the college student's visage as the boy's strawberry stained lips trembled in coiled anticipation. "There are many reason's I keep Raito-kun at a distance, yet it would be tedious to state them all. I have been a coward, in retrospect, in chasing Raito-kun, yet not giving him all that I have to give. I've held back too much to myself, hoping that he would not notice... a mistake that nearly sabotaged what could be one of the best things my life has yet to offer."

L smiled sardonically to himself, self deprecation hidden within the confounds of his mind. "I thought in doing what I was doing, it would appease both Raito-kun and myself, but that was a false hope. I am now grateful that Raito-kun declined such hopeless attempts, because in essence, it would only create a hopeless relationship."

The professor slowly lifted his head off of Raito's lap and leaned closer to his person, midnight black eyes widening that much more. "And nothing I wish to create with Raito-kun should ever be hopeless."

Raito didn't even have time to blink before lips were upon his own, stealing the breath right out of his lungs. Another hand joined it's brother as L applied more pressure to the chaste kiss, only to pull away as Raito began to reciprocate in kind. "If Raito-kun can find it in himself to allow me one more chance to prove just how much I care for him, then..."

L kissed the younger man's cheek, lingering for a moment, before placing another at the shell of his ear, Raito's shallow breaths coming out in small pants. "I shall give him what he truly deserves of me. My heart maybe fractured, but it is all I have to give... if it is what Raito-kun truly wants."

A second of tense silence overcame the two, as one waited for the other's response, his heart palpitating in quick thumps.

"Lawliet." Raito whispered soberly, shifting his body slightly before unexpectedly crushing L's lips with his own. Long, pale fingers intertwined alongside chestnut colored locks, throaty gasps filling the silent room as mouths parted and tongues fought for complete dominance over the other. Palms and fingers trailed down a milky white neck, Raito pulling away for a moment to quickly catch his breath.

"The truth is all I ever wanted from you. If you can give me that," Raito smirked at the man, molten honey colored eyes alight with glee, "then we've got it made."

The college professor smiled gently as he laid his head down on Raito's shoulder, a small exhalation of air shuddering from his ravaged lips as he closed his dark eyes. Raito laid his head back, taking comfort in the warming body intimately intertwined with his. As Raito closed his eyes, L's voice reverberated through his chest.

"It all started with my father," L began, startling Raito with the spontaneiouty of the words. "After he left both my mother and I, things were never really the same..."

Raito nuzzled the older man's ebony hair, smiling sympathetically at the professor, yet feeling elated at the bit of information shared.

"But even though things were slightly strained between us, my mother imparted on me something very important. Something to remember when things got too rough, and I just didn't know what to do."

_**"Don't make the same mistakes your father and I made, Lawli. Hang on to them, with your last... breath."**_

And he would... because it was all L could do to keep himself sane.

* * *

Omg, you may laugh, but this chapter has to have been one of the most difficult for me to write... and to me, that's just sad. What is there to say about this chapter except 'Fluff AHOY!' Lol. Where's my angst and humor that I'm so fond of? And F.Y.I: This is not the end! I repeat: This is not the end of the Prof!au! Lol! Like I've said before, you guys will know when it's the end. Trust me. XD


	32. Harrow

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

32. _Harrow: Torment; Vex. _

* * *

Beyond the dark walls of their unforgivingly lonely apartment lay a cruel world.

Yagami Raito knew that for a fact.

The now 16 year old boy gazed out into the dark abyss that was Tokyo, wondering so many things...

Too many things.

Broken brown eyes shimmered in the basking city lights, thoughts jumbled in a mess of hazy memories as a hand pressed itself against the steely cold window pane.

Today was a special day.

**The **day to be just a bit more precise.

"Raito-kun?"

A low baritone voice, much matured in the wake of their travels, interrupted the young man's brooding. Raito turned around disinterestedly, a small fake smile wrapped across his lips as his heart began to shudder at the sight of the older man holding onto a small plate of cake in front of him.

"What is it, L?" Raito whispered without the slightest hesitation. L blinked, taking in the way the statuesque boy stood so serenely. Raito had grown so much in the last three years, his beauty shining more with each passing day.

And just as L predicted, the urges to simply ravish the teen had gotten only worse as time went on.

Yet, even though Raito tried to hide it, there was a great sadness behind those idealistic eyes, pulling L in whether the 16 year old wanted it to or not. "Today is the day, is it not?"

'Bullshit.' Raito thought in contempt, as an abrupt aggravation tickled the back of his mind. They both knew L didn't need any confirmation on what today was. In a way, it was both a blessing and curse... the things L knew about him...

Raito continued to smile, despite the depressing thoughts niggling their way to the forefront of his thoughts.

"Yup. That cake for me, or is it just another one of your diabetes-inducing late night treats?" The grin did not fool L in the least.

But he sent Raito a tiny smile, just to show he was not giving into this game.

"No, this is definitely for Raito-kun, who is now another year older. See, I even put candles on it this year, just for something different." Every year since their 'escape' from Whammy's House, on Raito's day to celebrate, they did nearly the same thing. The fact that L deviated in just the slightest bit made Raito feel a bit awkward, but he was sure that the rest of the night would continue as normal. A small bit of banter, a small touch of reminiscence...

And Raito continually ignoring what was truly bothering him altogether.

The boy's eyes softened as L placed the cake on their small table, watching the man struggle with the matches. He chuckled as L finally managed to strike one correctly and lit the candles sitting precariously on the vanilla whipped frosted cake. The teenage prodigy leaned forward and glanced up, features illuminated by the dim candlelight. The former detective's breath quickened in response.

"What? No birthday song this year?" Raito smiled gently.

"Rai-chan knows I am a horrible singer." L reverted back to the old nickname, placing a thumb on his pale lips.

"I think I can bear it." Raito replied back, laying his gaze on the sparsely decorated cake. Raito heard L sigh as the familiar voice mumbled something unintelligible to himself.

"Happy birthday to you..." L sang out awkwardly in English. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Light... happy birthday to you."

Raito genuinely grinned as he took in a deep breath, only to let it out a moment after, snuffing out the tiny lights.

"Does Raito-kun feel better now?" Raito's eyes glimmered with untainted happiness as he glanced over at the 23 year old, cheeks flushed a cherry tomato red from the fire of the candles. "Hm..."

"'Hm' does not tell me much, Rai-chan." L countered, but Raito said nothing more as he continued to gaze at the man's face intensely. A blush began to form on L's own face from the look in the young boy's eyes.

"Thank you, Lawli." The 16 year old stated as he walked around the older man and went into their small kitchen, grabbing some plates and eating utensils. Raito smiled once more as L grabbed his hand from behind and took the plates away from the teen.

"I get dibs on Raito's name."

L would never change, and Raito wouldn't want him to.

"Isn't it supposed to be **my **cake? Why should you get first dibs on anything?"

"Because Rai-chan loves me so much that he allows me to."

Raito blushed as he shut his mouth, not rebutting the widely known fact.

* * *

Sweat covered bangs obscured mahogany eyes as Raito cried out, his consciousness finally catching up with his state of distress. A hand pushed away the soaked hair out of his face as Raito shivered from a cool breeze flowing within his darkened room.

The young teen shakily stood up and closed the open window, wincing at the slam of wood meeting wood.

At least he felt a bit better.

Raito shook his head, blinking as a small picture on the dresser next to him caught his attention. Dark heads of hair, people of different sizes... but still...

'Mom... Dad... Sayu...'

The names came all at once, almost breaking the facade of tranquility Raito had forced upon his face. His hand's trembled as the memories were forced into his mind's eye.

It had been a night much like this one, cold and dark, that he had last seen his beloved family.

It had been his birthday, in fact.

They had been innocents, caught in the crossfire. Nothing more and nothing less.

A pair of cold arms suddenly wrapped around the young man, startling him out of his reverie. Raito stiffened as pair of warm lips met his pulse, tears shining within his deep breaths.

'Oh please, not now...' Raito thought in dismay.

The arms held them tighter, pulling them into the person's chest.

"Lawliet..."

"Shh..."

Raito gulped, trying to hold in the droplets of salty water from falling down his flushed cheeks, but it was to no avail. The boy's body shook once again, but this time from the emotions letting themselves be known.

Damn this time of year.

L began to lead the emotionally unstable teenager to his bed, laying him down lightly as he kept his own body adjacent to Raito's. After a moment of silence, Raito then turned around, his eyes taking on the color of melted milk chocolate. "Lawli..."

The former detective's grip on the young boy's body tightened inexplicably. "Yes, Raito-kun?"

"I want to forget... even if it's just for a little while. Please?"

L's eyes widened even further if possible. "Rai-chan..."

"Please?"

How could he resist such beautiful, vulnerable eyes?

Lawliet thought no more, leaning into Raito's face and finally capturing his lips. No more words were spoken between the two as Raito held on tightly to the man now above him, kissing him for all that he was worth.

Maybe in doing this... he could finally purge himself of all this unnecessary pain buried deep within his chest.

* * *

Not much Renegade!stuff going on here, but... eh. What's done is done. Likey or no likey?


	33. Breed

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

33: _Breed: Beget; also: originate_

* * *

They're were a lot of things in this world that were destined to be hated.

Whether it be eccentric or misunderstood people or their unacceptable ideals, hate was easily given to those commodities that other's just couldn't understand...

Much like the darkness.

Darkness was an entity that was naturally hated by mostly all, and without any real reason.

In the darkness lay a fear and loathing people couldn't quite grasp the concept of...

And through it all everyone fought darkness through it's many forms, and placed the most wicked of evil under it's illustrious name.

After awhile, it became more of a label than an actual thing to be feared. Something to prevail against, even through the shroud of malevolence seemingly surrounding it.

But really, the most cruel and malignant of beings and ideals lay in plain sight...

Right in the so-called everlasting Light so many clutched closely to their damned souls.

It was a sickness, actually. One most did not acknowledge, laying dormant throughout everyday life.

But he saw it.

Whether through the stoic eyes of Lawliet, the lone wanderer masking himself with the many guises of different aliases, or the piercing gaze of L, the protector of human kind and enforcer of justice, he saw it.

And it sickened him.

For someone like him, who thrived in the thrill of obscurity, basking in it's delicious anonymity, the Light the rest of the world covered itself in was a dreadful virus. Huddled deep within his cocoon of isolation, he shuddered looking on the outside in, cringing at the illness that contaminated others.

He was a being born into the 'darkness' of the farthest reaches of humanities imaginations, never meant to actually be duplicated until the time came to become replaced, and he became obsolete. People didn't understand him when they met him. They couldn't stomach his objective perspective or his strange quirks. Sneered at his closure to such things such as emotions, as useless as he thought them to be.

And people hated what they couldn't understand.

He wasn't delusional. He knew it was quite probable that he himself was the one that was broken. Shattered into many pieces, never really meant to be repaired...

Because he was more valuable that way.

Yet, even if this was so, he could not bring himself to complain about it. He was safe from the mistreatment's of the outside world and living without actually having to live.

But such sanctity could not last forever.

_True _darkness, the actual kind that kills and destroys, that plunders your soul and removes anything viable from it, thrived under the most exquisite of sins...

_**Temptation.**_

And now... he knew what true evil was.

The Light was such a beautiful spectacle, twinkling heartily in the distance. Almost taunting him with promises of _more_ than whatever this was.

For once, Lawliet, the man under the mask, had been _tempted_.

Given the chance to try and live beyond the boundaries that had always restrained him, allowing him to feed off it's decadent sustenance. A warmth teasingly grazed his cold body, in an effort to pull him closer to it's shine.

It had never bothered him before. He had steadily ignored it's calls, focusing solely on the steely bars of his decrepit cage. He had refused to give in at first...

But it had happened so quickly. Without him noticing, small pieces of himself had poured through the cracks and crevices he had thought to have had closed off. Little pieces that had grown larger and larger, until he could not _stop it_.

He was falling under the Light's spell, gradually becoming jaded to his own reality. Losing all focus on what was truly important.

Focus was what kept him grounded.

Focus was what kept him sane.

Focus was what chained him to this hellish world of disillusionment.

And the pain...

It all became the same.

After much time dwelling in both worlds, he could not tell the difference between the beloved Light and the reliable darkness. He choked on the stale air in his former domain, the _ailment_ making him weak in it's domineering presence. But the Light still burned, sores overcoming his pale body... his sensitive skin sizzling wretchedly until it reached his very core.

Like a misplaced puzzle piece, he fit nowhere... and it scared him.

He had not felt fear for as long as he could remember.

Emotions had always been meaningless to that point, yet now he found himself wondering...

He often thought about how this would all end. His death was eminent, of course. But would it be in vain? A part of him wished it wasn't so; that things would stay how they were. That he would continue to straddle the fine line between the two worlds, as insufferable as the pain would continue to be.

He wanted to feel.

He wanted to live in the Light.

He wanted to believe in the darkness.

He wanted to be both the man and the word Justice.

He wanted... to want.

From this most magnificent Light and monstrous of darkness, came a reverence that he could not control. The kind that longed to be both embraced and feared. He had to make a choice of epic proportions. And therein lay the question he constantly tiptoed around, hoping to stall in asking...

Would he give up his pedestal of apathy and wander freely into the unknown world of emotion?

As L smiled to himself, self deprecation laughingly dancing in the back of his head, he turned off his lap top and laid down next to his Light. Whether or not he managed to conquer this game of cat and mouse, he knew in his heart of hearts that he would win this war.

L then closed his eyes, another type of darkness enveloping him as he embraced the boy next to him in an attempt to not only remember his conviction, but bask in this most exquisite of pain.

Because even if L managed to bring down the criminal and remain the symbol of unmoving Justice, the Light had still broken the _**man's**_ heart.

Lawliet had been fighting a losing battle from the start.

* * *

I don't like this one. I doubt many of you will like this one either, but it fits into the theme of the one-shots. And I actually worked hard on this one, despite the fact it's still kind of awkward to read. Dark mood goes well with dark one-shot. ((sigh))


	34. Catastrophe

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà **_

34. _Catastrophe: Great disaster or misfortune. _

* * *

"Your father's birthday is today. We have approximately four hours and forty six minutes before he will call us at the apartment to pick him up from the airport... and we still have neither a gift or party decorations."

L stared down at the three children, his blank stare not unsettling them in the least as the stood in the middle of the mall they were currently residing. The youngest even managed to give the blank stare right back to the older man, and that was no easy feat for most people.

"So, we shall delegate who shall have what responsibilities and afterwards, meet back here in about 30-35 minutes."

Mail blinked, his game beeping continuously within his left hand as he pushed pause and gave the man his complete attention. "Uh... you do realize we're all under the age of 18, right? Aren't you afraid somebody might take us away somewhere and rape us over and over again while you're out doing God knows what?!"

L gave him a dubious look.

"No."

The three children then promptly sweat dropped.

"Now," L stated, ignoring Mihael's muttered, "If daddy heard about this, he wouldn't get any for at least a week..." and continued on. "Mihael, you will be in charge of balloons and eating utensils. Any and all types of balloons will be sufficient. Mail, your assignment will be to get the streamers and all assorted decorations there after. Do not be sparse in your choices. And Nate..."

The small silvery haired boy drowsily glanced up at the raccoon eyed man, finally giving him his full attention after spending several minutes just spacing out.

L internally shuddered at what he was about to say.

"You will be staying with myself. Raito-kun would most definitely kill me if something were to happen to you, especially."

L could see it all now...

* * *

_"Kids! L! I'm home!" Raito grinned, setting his bags down as L nervously stood where he was, not wanting to get any closer in fear of his health. _

_Mihael and Mail ran up to Raito, hugging him happily as the young artist blinked down at them, noticing that a child was missing from the equation. _

_"Raito-kun..."_

_"L? Where's Nate?" _

_"Not... here?"_

_"What do you mean, not here?! Who's got him, then?" _

_"I... don't know..."_

_Raito's face turned crimson as he let go of the two children, allowing them to back up in fright. "You don't know?"_

_"He just disappeared."  
_

_"Disappeared."_

_"Yes."_

_"As in, you lost him."_

_"Yes."_

_Silence._

_Silence._

_Sil-_

_"GGGGGRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!"_

_**"**__Rait-"_

_SUPER RAITO SMASH!_

* * *

And that was just the PG-13 version.

"So what are we, chopped liver?!" Mihael spouted indignantly, but was readily ignored by everyone else.

The kid was angry at the world.

Mail shrugged as he continued playing his video game (Brand NEW video game, bitch).

"Remember you two; 30 minutes. I do not want to have to search for either of you."

Eye twitch.

Blank stare.

"Yes sir." Both boys muttered despondently.

L then hesitantly grabbed the youngest of the three by the hand and gave the two boys 60 dollars each for the supplies... that in itself being a stupid move.

"30 minutes." L then gave the two mischievous boys on last steely look as he shuffled off into the many varieties of stores the mall had to offer.

Both Mail and Mihael blinked over at L's disappearing form before blinking down at the money in their small hands.

"... ... ... ... exploding balloons?"

"Exploding _**everything**_."

"Oh, yeah!"

Super High Five!

Somebody was gonna get hurt, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be Mail or Mihael.

* * *

"What do you plan to get for daddy today?"

"Things."

"What kinds of things?"

"Thingy things."

"Hm."

"Hm."

Silence.

"Would you like some suggestions on what to get him?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright."

And more silence. Until...

"Here we are." Nate tilted his head to the side as both he and L stood in front of a random jewelery store. Both man and boy entered the small shop, L going straight to a certain section, leaving the four year old to wander around the slightly enclosed space.

"Oh my!" A young short haired woman immediately gasped out, alerting the dark eyed boy of another's presence within his vicinity. "Aren't you just the cutest little thing I've ever seen!"

"Thank you." Nate awkwardly shifted as he continued to stare at all the shiny trinkets.

"And just look at that." Hazel eyes draped with dark bangs glanced over at L, her own eyes twinkling at the sight of the man. "You even got your papa's eyes!"

Nate's eyebrows twitched at the assumption, but did not say anything contrary to the woman's observation.

"Ah, and he's looking at some pretty expensive items over there! Your mommy must be a really happy woman!"

And that was when Nate finally saw his chance at being able to get rid of the annoying, squeaky voiced lady.

"I don't have a mommy..."

Pitying eyes. "Oh, I'm-"

"But I'm sure my daddy will be happy with whatever he'll be getting for his birthday."

The woman stalled for a moment.

Ah, blessed shock...

"Excuse me?"

"Well, daddy will most definitely enjoy his present. Father has excellent tastes after all." Innocent eyes gazed at the young saleswoman, satisfaction hidden deep within their depths. "I'm sure that they'll be up all night making loud noises again. They do that a lot, especially when father does something nice for daddy."

"Uh..."

"Nate, I am finished with our purchase." L finally appeared beside the boy, not noticing the wide eyed stare the woman in front of them was giving him. "Let us go now."

"Yes sir. Did you get daddy something nice?"

L nodded without actually thinking about the question.

Thunk!

"Mitsuko! Are you alright?"

Nate smirked at the sound, both he and L making their way out of the store and walking to the allocated meeting place.

Oh, he couldn't wait to see his daddy again.

* * *

"Do you have everything?"

"Yup!"

Snicker. "Yes we do."

"Good. It is time to leave. We must meet your aunt at the house to begin the decoration process and get everything ready for when you father arrives at the house."

"Of course, L. We'll make everything nice and pretty..."

The three children gave each other conniving looks as L turned around and began leading the devil's spawn out of the mall.

This party was going to be a disaster in the making.

* * *

Continued in the Next Installment...

Sneak Peek (at the word, anyways):

Bestir: To rouse to action.

* * *

And here we are, back with the future of our artist clan... wow, I have made those three kids especially evil. Our future is doomed. Lol.


	35. Bestir

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

35. _Bestir: To rouse to action._

* * *

"So... matches?"

"Check."

"Fake mice?"

"Check."

"Roaches?"

"Check."

"Rabid wolverines?"

"Che-... wait, what?"

"Oh, sorry. That's for next Christmas. Let's see... fireworks?"

"Check, check and double check. Heh, I almost feel bad for these people."

"Honestly?"

Snort.

"Heck no."

Nate stared at the two boys solemnly as Mail and Mihael discussed the objects within their possession, wicked grins enveloping their childish faces. "What is all that for?"

Mihael glared at the semi-naive boy whilst Mail continued to rummage through the bags excitedly. "What do you think they're for, Einstein?"

"You are going to wreck daddy's birthday party." Nate stated bluntly as he curled a lone lock of hair that fell in between his eyes. The blonde haired boy rolled his eyes, a muttered 'kill-joy...' passing right by Nate's ears.

"Why would you do that to daddy?" the silver haired boy asked quietly as he wandered over to Mail and peered into the many bags scattered around him, Mihael's face turning an interesting shade of red in anger.

"Who says we're doing this to daddy?!" Mihael exclaimed, careful not to let his voice carry too much in case L or their Aunt Sayu heard...

That would completely ruin everything!

'But really, we're not doing this to daddy. We're doing this FOR daddy!' Mihael thought triumphantly, his own rationalizing falling short in his mind, but dismissing the lack of common sense almost immediately. His father would understand...

Eventually.

"You sound so offended..." Nate ignored the steam practically pouring out of Mihael's ears, continuing on with his train of thought. "Yet here you are, practically ready to drive our daddy crazy when he has yet to see us since last week. That is the longest time he has been away from us since we have come here, and you know he is so very attached to us. So..."

"That is why I ask why you are doing this to daddy... when really, you could gain so much more satisfaction from doing it to L instead."

"Eh?"

"What do you mean by that, small fry."

Both boys turned their full attentions to the tiny boy, who just so happened to also be an evil genius in a kawaii disguise.

Nate had them hook, line and sinker.

An auspicious grin, reminiscent to L's own creepy smile, covered the lower part of Nate's face as he let go of the lock of hair dangling precariously off his index finger.

"Listen very closely, and I shall tell you of my plan..."

* * *

"So how are things going with the kids, Lawliet?" Sayu grinned over at L as she methodically scattered the streamers this way and that, the older man letting the balloons float about the room in a colorful display of... balloon-ness.

"Hmph. Children, indeed..." The 21 year old woman frowned as the bitter comment was muttered out.

"Lawliet? You are trying to get along with the kids better, right?"

The anonymous artist's silence was the only answer she received.

"L! What the hell?!" Sayu slammed down the decoration and stomped over to the pouting 32 year old, snatching the brownie he held between two fingers out of his hand and pushing him onto the couch. "It's been three months, Lawliet! I know it's a lot to take in at once, but you have to grow up eventually! Do you want Raito to have to choose between his lover and his children?"

"What does Sayu-chan mean by that?" L asked rapidly, his eyes even wider than usual. "Raito-kun would not have to ever make that kind of choice!"

"Well, what do you think is going to happen if you keep treating these kids like crap, L?"

"I do no-"

"Lawliet."

The dark eyed man pouted once again as he brought his gaze down to gaze at the floor. "I do not mean to. Honestly, I do not. At times, it just becomes... frustrating to have to deal with such beings. And they always seem to consume Raito-kun's attention. I can not remember the last time we even had time to ourselves..."

"I know, 'nii-chan." L awkwardly smiled at the endearment, knowing Sayu meant it when she called him so. "I know that you're not accostumed to being around kids, but you have to _think_, L. Raito wants to raise a family with **you**."

Sayu's hands cupped the other's face, bringing his eyes up to meet her own. "You know he loves you... this is just another way of him trying to prove that fact to you."

"I... had not thought of it that way." Sayu grinned once again, letting her hands fall from L's cheeks as the revelation finally began to sink in...

'Yeah, four months later...' The brunette thought sarcastically to herself as L recomposed himself and stood up off the couch, ready to face the three demonic beings that had managed to worm their way into his apartment-

BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!

"WHAT THE HELL!" Sayu yelled over the noise, explosions converging in the floor above them.

"WHAT?!" L shouted above the commotion.

"I SAID; WHAT THE HELL?!"

"I CAN NOT HEAR YOU, SAYU-CHAN!"

"I** SAID**-OH, FUCK IT! I THINK ONE OF US NEEDS TO GO UP-"

_BOOM!_

"-stairs."

The floor shook slightly in the wake of aftershocks as both adults blinked out of their daze, L being the first of the two to come to...

L sighed despondently, a bored look then overcoming his face. "Those boys..."

"Shit... and I thought I was bad to Raito..."

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

"OPEN UP IN THERE!" A young, shrilly female voice came from behind the door, reminding both Sayu and L of the reason they were both there.

"I'M COMING, DAMN IT!"

Sayu then turned to L, a resolute expression set on her visage. "Ok, I'll greet the people and thwart off anyone that thinks a bomb went off in the apartment... which it probably did, but who cares. You go upstairs and check on the kids, papa bear."

"Whatever." L drawled out, his enthusiasm pouring out in buckets. The door squeaked open as L made up the stairs and entered the hallway of no return-

"KYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! SAYU-CHAN! IS RAI-CHAN HERE YET?! I HEAR THE KIDS GOING PSYCHO ALREADY!"

But when it was between three crazy children and Misa... those kids won on any given day of the week.

And that was just sad.

L's eyes widened as the walls around the kids room were charred a coal black, all three of the doors wide open to the assault. A gastric smell of feces permeating the stale air around the upper level of the apartment as L peeked into the rooms, all of the room's walls also covered in the same sooty darkness as the hallway. The man's reasoning steadily poured out of his head as L stood paralyzed where he stood... not knowing what to do.

"Children?"

They weren't anywhere to be seen...

"Please, this is not funny..."

And he didn't know what to do.

* * *

Continued in the Next Installment...

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyway):

Riddle: A puzzling question to be solved or answered by guessing.

* * *

O.O; Uh... this didn't come out how I wanted it to... Wow, what is wrong with me lately? Lol! Hopefully it wasn't too bad though. Thanks for reading!


	36. Riddle

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

36. _Riddle: A puzzling question to be solved or answered by guessing. _

* * *

Giggle…

"Mihael, shut up!"

"He will find us if you keep laughing so hard…"

"I can't help it! I just keep picturing the look on his face, and it cracks me up!"

"Gee, how about this; Self Control: Try it sometime, girly boy."

"Shut the heck up, Mail! I'll beat the crap outta you, and laugh while doing that too!"

"You both are going to blow our cover. Silence, please."

"You can silence my a-"

"Dude. Chill, already. Stop being so angry at the world, and get some therapy along with that faith."

"Grr…"

"Need Jesus, anybody?"

"_Children?" _

L's voice suddenly resonated from the charcoaled hallways, the three boys smiling at each other from their space inside Nate's closet.

"Dude, he totally sounds freaked out!"

"I know!"

"Ah yes, the lovely sound of L not knowing what is going on… truly, it's music to my ears."

"_Please, this is not funny…"_

"Jeez, poor guy sounds as if we just ran over his puppy!"

"Don't you mean cat? L doesn't like puppies…"

"Will you two please be quiet? I am trying to bask in the glory of one-upping L, if you do not mind?"

Double Sigh.

"Whatev', gremlin child."

"What does daddy see in you, again?"

"Cuteness. Now, shush! He is saying something else…"

"_I know I have not been the perfect adult with all of you, but please, if you are not hurt, come here now. I… I honestly just want to make sure you are all alright." _

"Do you buy that crap?"

"Psh. Hell no, we won't go."

"Hm… I have never heard him speak to us this way."

"Don't you mean you, you albino?"

The boys then heard L sigh as footsteps resonated throughout the hallways.

"_Your father is coming home soon, so if you are here, please just give me a sign. I do not wish to have to tell your otou-san that I can not find you, let alone show him these hallways…"_

"Mihael, close your mouth before I show everyone who is coming to the party those pictures of you wearing a pink dress and kissing daddy on the cheek."

"FTW?!"

"_He will be so worried…"_

_Step._

_Step._

_Step._

Whisper. "How did you get pictures of that?!"

"… … … … Magic. Now-"

_Squeak…_

"Oh shit."

"Uh…"

Dark eyes, twitching in the dim light of the blackened room, narrowed as they kept their sight on the three children from hell.

"Hello, L. Do you like what we have done with the apartment?"

L's eye twitched again.

"We love you?"

"That doesn't work with him, genius."

L's face contorted into a malicious frown, the likes of which the children had ever seen.

They were actually scared of the man, for once.

"Well, there is only one thing to do in a situation like this."

"And that is?"

Mihael grinned… before taking in a deep breath of air. Mail got the message almost immediately.

"RUN FOR YOU LIVES! HE'S FINALLY SNAPPED!"

"DEAR SWEET MOTHER OF ALL THAT'S GOOD IN THIS WORLD, DON'T HURT OUR SMALL FRAGILE BODIES!"

Nate blinked at the outbursts, before nodding in understanding.

"… … … … I am frightened."

The two other boy's sweat dropped, knowing that was the best they were going to get out of him, before grabbing the emotionally stunted boy and running past L's lanky arms which tried to grab them in their haste.

"BOYS!"

"Gah!"

"Downstairs! Downstairs!"

"My legs are beginning to hurt…"

"Then maybe you should grow a couple of inches, you midget!"

"Hmm…"

"You three-!"

STOMP!

STOMP!

STOMP!

STOMP!

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

All four males stopped on the last step at the same time, mahogany brown eyes widening at the sight before him, the man's bags strewn all over the floor as his mouth hung open at the sight rushing towards him when-

CRASH!

"Daddy!"

"Dad!"

"Father!"

"Raito-kun!"

The three children, who all were now staring up at Raito from the ground, were completely covered from head to toe in soot in seemed, quivering frowns perched on their faces, merely inches from the floor. L, who sat on top of them, gulped as his now completely black shirt, clung to his body in a disarray, his face covered in streaks of ashes as Raito glared at the small group of misfits.

A nervousness seemed to palpitate in the room around them.

All of the people in the apartment stayed silent as the now 25 year old man stared down at his family in shock, humiliation and ultimately, the one thing Raito always seemed to feel in the movie called his life…

Anger.

"I think everyone should leave now."

"But Yagami-kun-"

"Matsuda. No. Sayu, okaa-san, otou-san, thank you for trying to set this all up, but I think I need to have a very important… _discussion_ with my sons and boyfriend."

Sayu nodded quickly, knowing that whatever Raito had in store for these kids (including L) was not going to be pretty. She made a gesture toward the people staring and all of them groaned, most having just got there.

"C'mon, the action's just started!"

"Just when it started to get good, too…"

"Well, can't say this wasn't interesting. Even if did only last fifteen minutes…"

"Explosions. Blackened children. Shamed L? And a smexy, hot, angry Raito?! I don't care how long it lasted, that always equals a good time in my book."

"Mikami… shut the hell up and lets go."

Pout. "Oh."

"Raito…" Raito turned around, his mother gazing at him in worriment as she whispered in his ear. "Try not to be too harsh, and listen to what they have to say."

"Mother-!"

"Please, Raito. As the parent, you have to try and be calm. I know that they've probably done something incredibly stupid, but this is your family. Show them that much respect, even if they do not deserve it now."

Raito sighed as he nodded, accepting his mother's kiss on the cheek. Soichirou then grabbed his arm from behind, a sharp look enveloping his face as he glanced at L.

"Go for the balls, son."

Raito sweat dropped as his parents then left the apartment, leaving only Sayu and the dysfunctional clan in its wake.

"I'll get going, onii-chan…" Sayu hugged the frazzled young man, not teasing him for once. "I love you, ok? And happy birthday…"

The young girl let him go and glanced at the boys behind her, shaking her head as she did so. She left the apartment without another word.

Raito crossed his arms across his chest, a glare resting firmly on his face.

"We need to have a talk, boys. And I mean, _**now**_."

The four males grimaced consecutively.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Continued in Next Installment...

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyway)

Remedy: A medicine or treatment that cures or relieves a disease or condition.

* * *

Uh oh... shit's about to go down! ((gasp)) Will Rai-chan lay the smackdown on somebody? Will the kids ever warm up to L? Is L going to get laid tonight? ... ... ... What are you looking at me for? I don't know! Lol!


	37. Remedy

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

37. _Remedy: A medicine or treatment that cures or relieves a disease or condition. _

* * *

As Raito walked down the stairs in a semi state of shock, beyond speechless at the destruction incurred upon his poor, defenseless apartment, he knew he was ready to blow a gasket in a half.

Not even a half hour in his apartment, and he had a handful of very dirty, very **guilty** children, a COMPLETELY ruined upper half of a very expensive apartment, friends thinking his family were a bunch of crazy insane people and a boyfriend who looked like he was a step away from suffering an extreme nervous breakdown.

Joy.

'Remember... no matter how badly you want to kick their asses, they are just children... and he is the love of your life. Children... love of your life... children... love of your life... _**CHILDREN AND LOVE OF YOUR LIFE! **_DAMN IT, WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING?!'

_'You're obliterated apartment and crushed sanity seem to be the answer to that question.'_

Raito's eye twitched, something it hadn't done in a long, LONG time.

'Why me...?'

The 25 year old man took in a deep breath, trying to collect himself the best he could as he raked a shaky hand through his luminous locks.

"I only have one question, and I want this answer as straight forward as possible..." All four pairs of eyes stared up at the man's face, rage barely concealed by his teetering self control. "Who's idea was this?"

All four mouths stayed silent.

Raito turned his gaze to his lover, thinking he could get the story from the man who was supposed to be in control of the situation-

L blinked, looking traumatized above all else.

"Huh?"

Only to sweat drop in exasperation.

"Err... I think I'll talk to you later, L. How about you go in the kitchen and get started on some of the cake Sayu left from the party. I think we need to have a separate and extremely long discussion about all of this."

L stayed silent for a moment, a blank look covering his face...

Only to blink once again

"Huh?"

There was something wrong when his boyfriend didn't even respond to anything, especially if that 'anything' included cake.

Raito glared at the three children as they simultaneously squeaked in fear.

"Alright, I'll ask again, and I expect an answer this time; **Who's idea was this?**"

All three children looked at each other, each trying to figure a way out of the corner they had been backed in. Raito sighed to himself, shaking his head in anger.

"Fine, none of you want to own up to what you did, that's fine. EXTREMELY fine. But don't think you're getting out of a punishment..." Raito's eyes glimmered in malicious glee as the three children shivered at the look on their father's face. "And I expect all of you to accept it without question."

"What are you gonna make us do?" Mihael pitched in, his eyes wide over his face.

Raito smirked.

These kids didn't know who they were dealing with.

"Mihael, you are to go a month without any chocolate whatsoever, and no, that is not negotiable. Nate, no playing with any of your toys or puzzles for the same amount of time, and the same goes to you Mail, with your video games."

"WHAT?! NO CHOCOLATE?! HOW CAN I LIVE WITHOUT IT?! DADDY, DON'T DO THIS TO ME, PLEASE!!"

"NO WAY! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO MEEEEEE! I'M ON LEVEL FIFTY SEVEN, AND I'M TOTALLY PWNING EVERYBODY!"

"Daddy, this is nonsense. It was just one _small _explosion. It's not as if anyone actually got hurt..."

"I _**said,**_" Raito sharply interrupted the three separate tirades before they could truly begin, "it was_** not **_negotiable... and I didn't say I was done yet."

All three paled as the words slipped from the older man's lips.

"Since you three feel that you have such great bomb making skills, I expect you to be able to clean up the mess said bomb creates as well."

Three jaws dropped, speechless.

"And I expect a good, deep cleaning, too. All that soot has got to go..." Raito examined his fingernails as his smirked widened. "Also, since you ruined the party that your aunt, grand parents and _**father**_painstakingly set up for me-" L blinked out of his stupor at the word father tumbling from Raito's lips, and in context of _him_ instead of the honey eyed man. "I expect all three of you to give separate apologies to all four of them and ask them for forgiveness."

Nate chose this moment to speak, asking the question on all three of the kid's minds.

"Father...?"

"Yes. I think something hasn't been made clear in this house..." Raito huffed out a breath as he kept a steady gaze on his sons. "I come in a two-set package. To get me, you have to accept L as well. On those adoption papers, his name is right next to mine. I'm sick all three of you dismissing that fact, and treating him as if he's just someone in your way instead of your _parent._"

L looked down at the floor, not being able to meet Raito's eyes.

"I can't keep fighting this war between the four of you. I'm only one person, and I can't be here all the time to make sure everyone plays nice. And I shouldn't have to! I love all four of you, but how long do you actually think I'll be able to deal with this kind of carnage?" A pair of fist's clenched as they tugged on the seam of their once white pajama top. "I just wanted all of us to be a family. Is that so bad? To want all of you to want this too?"

"Daddy..." Nate's quiet voice quivered as he slowly stood up, keeping his gaze towards the floor. "I..."

"Nate?" Raito crossed his arms as he looked at his youngest son questioningly.

"It was me." Nate closed his eyes in submission. "I was the one who thought of the idea and convinced Mail and Mihael to make the bomb and set it off in our rooms."

"Why would you do that?" Cinnamon brown eyes filled themselves with disappointment.

"Because I was jealous."

"Jealous?" Raito echoed.

"Yes." Nate then looked over at L, dark eyes not flinching for a moment. "Jealous."

"I made the bomb!" Mail suddenly blurted out, standing up from his chair. "But... just cuz."

"And I set up where the bombs would create the maximum damage." Mihael murmured from his seat. "And I did it for the same reason as Mail. I was just bored without daddy here."

Raito sighed.

"I think it's time you three started cleaning up. So get to it." Three pairs of feet shuffled towards the stairs, not-so-stifled groans echoing after their steps as the two men were left downstairs by themselves.

"C'mon... let's go into the kitchen." Raito whispered as he motioned in the direction of the other room, not even looking back to see L following him hesitantly. "I'll make you some hot chocolate."

"... ... ... Raito-kun is not angry with me?"

"Are you kidding?" Raito snorted as the man sat down at their kitchen table wearily, setting to work on the liquid goodness. "I'm _furious_ with you."

"I figured as much..." L muttered as he brought his knees closer to his face.

"No... you think I'm angry about what's happened." L blinked as Raito calmly continued on with his task. "Quite frankly, I'm ready to kill you for a different reason entirely."

"Why else would Raito-kun be angered with me? I know I failed in all aspects of parenthood-" L ignored the banging of pans against their kitchen stove. "And if he reconsiders the choice he made in being with me while having these children, I would not blame him in the-"

"Did you not hear a word I said out there, L?!" Raito turned around, a glared sent the artist's way as his rage finally reached it's boiling point. "I said that we're in this together! That we're both responsible for these children! Do you want me to take that back, L? If you don't want to be a parent, if you don't even want to be with _me_, then I would rather you'd admit that than give me this damned pity party! I love you, and if you think one incident, against who knows how many others we'll both probably have to face against these three demon spawn will suddenly cause me to forget these two years we've been together, than obviously you have bigger issues than what you're willing to admit to."

L's wide eyes stared unabashedly at Raito's heaving form, the younger artist's eyes glistening slightly in the artificial light as he poured the now burning liquid within the cups. "Do you know why I wanted to have kids so quickly, L?"

"Because... you loved me?"

Raito laughed silkily, his smile smoothing out his stressed face as bumps and groans continued to echo from the second floor of their apartment. "That is part of the reason, but not all of it."

"We both grew up in completely different environments, and I know you didn't have the best of childhoods, that in itself putting it lightly..." Raito handed a mug to the dark haired man as he continued to speak. "But I wanted you to see that just because you didn't have the chance to be a kid then, didn't mean you didn't have the chance to give one to someone else now. It's not fair that you had to live the life you did, but don't you want to save someone from having to walk that same road as you?"

The older man closed his eyes, flashes of his own past flashing through his mind's eye causing him to shake his head sporadically.

"I know you have the potential to be such a great father..."

Raito leaned against the table, his back facing the self proclaimed insomniac as he fiddled with his cooling cup of cocoa.

"You just have to want to try."

L uncharacteristically set down his sweetly warm drink, standing up at his full height as Raito tilted his head to the side. Pale arms encased in long white sleeves wrapped themselves around Raito's waist as he put down his own drink on the table and held the other man as well.

"The fact that you have so much faith in my limited skills of both parenting and relationships scares me." L admitted as he brought his head down to the crook of the younger man's shoulder. "But I know that more than anything, I wish to be a part of this family, truly a part, as well. If Raito-kun helps me..."

"You know I'll be here. You know I'm not going anywhere. More than anything," Raito brought his lips down to L's cheek, pale lids fluttering closed as they savored the skin on skin contact. "You know I love you. And that chains me to you more than these kids do on any given day."

A cheeky grin lit up the artist's face as he hid his face within the cloth still covering the younger man's skin.

"So does that mean I still have the chance of getting laid tonight?"

Raito snorted once again, this time in disbelief.

"Nope." A mischievous look overcame Raito's face as he pushed the ebony eyed man back and smirked. "It's all a part of your punishment as well."

"Oh no..."

"Oh yes. How does no sex for a month, followed by sleeping on the couch for the next two weeks sound to you?"

"**WWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT?? Raito-kun cannot be serious!!**"

"Says who, Mr. I-think-it'd-be-a-good-idea-to-leave-the-psychotic-children-upstairs-unattended?"

"... ... ... ... Raito-kun has me there."

Mahogany eyes blinked innocently as Raito began to stroll out of the room. "Of course I do. I think I know what I'm talking about at this point. It's a good thing those boys weren't stupid enough to catch our room on fire, or else there really would be hell to pay. Now, let's get upstairs L. I think lounging around and watching them clean while drinking hot chocolate will satisfy my enjoyment for the moment."

L pouted as he grabbed his hot chocolate and slumped upstairs.

'At least I get to torture them for awhile... even if there is no action afterwards.'

"L, are you coming?!"

"Not anytime soon, apparently..."

* * *

((Blink)) Anybody else catch that hint at angst? Cuz I did. And it was awesome. Those kids are gonna have a heck of a time cleaning those rooms, that I can tell ya... Lol! If it was me, I would have gone ape-shit, but Rai-chan kind of kept his cool. Now that's what I call self-control.


	38. Enough

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

38. _Enough: Sufficient_

* * *

"Do you need anything else?"

"No, not right-"

"Cushions. He needs some more cushions."

"Yes! And coffee! Don't forget the coffee!"

"Boys, I really don't need-"

"Duh! I know he needs coffee, I'm not an idiot."

"Of course not, Mihael. Now, would daddy like to cuddle with me for awhile?"

"Well, of cour-"

"Of course he doesn't want to cuddle with you. He's only been comatose on a bed for the last six months! I bet he just wants to get up and stretch his legs…"

"Mihael is presumptuous."

"Oh… you know a big word. Good for you, you sleepy eyed little freak!"

"Dude, seriously. Dad just woke up not even a day ago. Are you really going to punish him for it?"

"It's not my fault he has a weirdo for a son!"

"I know. It's a pity he was stuck with you, Mihael."

"Aaaahhhh! Nate, you freaking bastard! AND WHERE ARE THOSE DAMN CUSHIONS! DADDY NEEDS SUPPORT, DAMN YOU ALL!"

"I do not know. Why don't you search for them yourself, you ignoramous."

"You mother-"

"MIHAEL, WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE! NATE, STOP PROVOCKING YOUR BROTHER! AND MAIL…"

Mail looked over at Raito with a blink as the PSP in his hands seemed to glow within his small hands.

"You can just keep doing whatever it was you were doing."

Mail smirked as he gave his exhausted (already) father a thumb's up.

Raito sweat dropped.

Coffee brown eyes drooped slightly as a weary smile overcame the young man's tired face, two sets of pouts and a happy smile meeting his open gaze. To his left, a dark haired man smiling contentedly sat down beside him, amused at the display he and his sons made.

Everything seemed to be right on its proper axis once again.

"Now, how about you guys tell me how your day at school was, and we'll go from there."

The beeping of the video game ceased as all three pairs of eyes widened, before glancing at each other and then back towards their father.

Raito sweat dropped once again.

"Well, this morning, Mikomi-chan, this girl in my class, she totally dissed my hair style-"

"Somebody tried to steal my PSP on the bus this morning, dad! And I was all like, Oh noes! And they were like 'I just want your slamming PSP! Give it up, Goggles!'-"

"A child next time kept attempting to copy off my paper in class as I was finishing my test-"

"So I told her she was just jealous of my amazing gorgeous blonde locks, and she sneered at ME, so-"

"And after he said that, I totally pwned them to the nth degree by kicking the crap outta them, and everybody kept saying I was made of epic win, and the other dude was all like ZOMG! No ways!-"

"So I took my pencil and tried to stab the person's hand as they snuck a second glance in my direction. The teacher was not amused, apparently-"

"I took a bunch of chalk and smeared it all over her head, to which the teacher in charge saw me and screamed, totally over exaggerating-"

"And then I punched him in the face and broke his nose, when the bus driver caught me unexpectedly-"

"I then told the teacher that if she had been paying more attention to her surroundings, perhaps I wouldn't have had to go to such drastic measures-"

"So they gave me detention for the next six weeks, even though it was clearly not my fault." The three of them finished concurrently as Raito shook his head exasperatedly.

'Not even awake one day and I already feel a headache coming over me…'

The younger man pouted as he looked over at L, eyes pleading for help. L grinned, his mood not even dampened by his behaviorally retarded children. "Children, please stop bombarding your father with your newly made mischief. He is still very exhausted in trying to recuperate his full strength."

The look in Raito's eyes let L know that that wasn't the kind of help he was looking for, but the older architect was too high off his lover's conscious body to try to conjure up any real anger towards his children. Raito reclined back against the multiple pillows (really, he already had enough to suffocate three bears) and gestured for his children to come forward. All three climbed on top of the bed and carefully situated themselves around the still somewhat prone body on the bed. "What have I told the three of you about misbehaving in school?"

Mail smirked. "Not to?"

"Mail."

And then sighed. "Sorry."

"You three know better, and I'm very disappointed that the first things I have to hear are about your misadventures. Now, give me a kiss and hug, Watari has been waiting by the door for the last fifteen minutes and he looks tired enough as it is." The older man laughed as the children hugged their father, each muttering out their own small (if sincere) apology and kissing him on the cheek.

"I expect better stories tomorrow."

"Yes, daddy." They all chorused as they slowly crawled off the bed and slouched over to Watari, who bowed before exiting the room. The boys stopped at the door, glancing at each other before turning back to look at both their fathers.

"We love you both." Nate quietly whispered as Mihael brought his hands to his hips. "Yeah, so try not to go all unconscious on us again, k?"

Mail smirked, adjusting his goggles on his face. "God knows you both don't have the greatest luck when it comes to staying healthy."

L glared at the boys as they giggled, Raito grinning at them despite of the well placed dig.

"We love you, too. Very much. Now try not to get into any trouble?"

"Fine…" Came the rehearsed reply as they all waved, finally leaving the room in extreme reluctance.

"Is it just me, or do something's never change?" Raito asked the obsidian eyed man as L settled in beside Raito, holding him as closely as possible to his own person. "If by 'something's', you mean those three insane children, than yes. They will most definitely never change."

Raito leaned his head onto L's shoulder as he nuzzled the man's barely exposed skin within the collar of his long sleeved shirt and pressed a gentle kiss against his neck. "So how was work today?"

Dark eyes blinked as L stared down at Raito's affectionate form. Raito allowed the silence to continue on for a few more minutes, until he just had to ask the question that crept up from the blank look on his lover's face.

"What is it, L?"

"… … … It has been a long term since I have heard you ask that question. Pardon me for savoring the moment with Raito-kun."

"It's hardly savoring it with me when you space out in the middle of conversation."

"I did not."

"You did too…"

"It figures instead of kissing me, you would rather argue with me, Raito-kun. You are right when you say something's never change."

"Maybe I would kiss you if you would just answer simple questions instead of daydreaming about them."

"You truly are cruel to me, Rai-chan."

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"Too many to count."

"Lovely. Now, if you would please stop thinking for five minutes and just sit with me? That is savoring the moment, Lawli-chan."

"Grr…"

"Not so funny, is it?"

"Raito-kun lives to torture me."

"Among other things…"

"Oh. That was dirty coming from Raito-kun."

"Only for you, dear." Raito grinned as he cut off the battle of wits and stared up at the love of his life, a smile covering L's own face as well. "Did you miss me while I was zonked out of it?"

L winced as the smile then slowly disintegrated off his face and his gaze roamed away from Raito's. "That is a stupid question, Raito-kun."

"I'm sorry." Raito whispered. "I didn't mean it like that…"

"I know…" L began to gently weave a hand through Raito's russet locks as his eyes gained a faraway quality to them. "These past six months have been Hell for me, Raito-kun. I honestly could not tell you how I have managed to survive without you by my side."

"L…"

"Words could not possibly describe how much I am sorry, Raito-kun." L whispered as he began to pull away from his lover. Hands grasped onto L's arm, planting him back into reality as wide chocolate brown orbs gazed up at his partner. "Why would you have to be sorry? You didn't do this to me, L…"

"There is something Raito-kun should know about his attacker."

_**It was cold.**_

_**The barrel was cold.**_

"What do you mean?" Raito asked hesitantly.

"The person who tried to kill you-"

_**The man's eyes…so much like the man he loved.**_

_**Cold. **_

_**Everything was cold.**_

"I… can't."

"L?"

"Raito-kun, I-"

_**And wet.**_

_**Sticky and wet.**_

_**Why couldn't he see?**_

_**Why was it so…**_

"L, what aren't you telling me?!"

"I know who tried to kill you, Raito-kun."

Eyes widened once more, this time in shock.

"What…?"

"I know who he is, and I know why he tried to kill you."

Raito was speechless.

_**Cold.**_

"I should have done so many things, Rai-chan. I was selfish, and for that, I know I may never gain your forgiveness. But I cannot stop needing you. I could not then, and I can not now."

Deep breaths…

He had to take deep breaths…

"Please say something Raito. Please."

Raito took one last glance at L, his heart feeling as if it were about to burst out of his chest-

_**Pain was the last thing he felt, as Raito drifted into the darkness…**_

And darkness was all he saw once more.

* * *

Continued in Next Installment...

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyways)

Labyrinth: A place constructed of or filled with confusing intricate passageways: Maze.

* * *

Back with the coma!au and loving it. Hope you enjoyed the chappie, and see ya soon!


	39. Labyrinth

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

39: _Labyrinth: A place constructed of or filled with confusing intricate passageways: maze. _

* * *

_Italics: Flashback_

**_Bold/Italics: Inner Thoughts_**

* * *

_**I feel as if I'm lost somewhere...**_

_**Darkness-**_

_**It's surrounding me, isn't it? **_

_**So many different emotions;**_

_**Which are actually mine?**_

_**Why-**_

_**Why does this seem to keep happening to me?**_

* * *

_Raito, hair glistening under the sun's spectacular rays, smiled as he exited the house. Four sets of voices echoed within his home's depths as he continued to walk to his car leisurely. The bushes shifted slightly, causing the young father to look over quickly, as the paranoia clouded his mind. Mocha eyes blinked as Raito shook the feeling off, putting off the sound as a result of the slight breeze flowing by. _

"_BOTH OF YOU PUT THAT DOWN NOW! MIHAEL! NATE! I SAID PUT THAT DOWN THIS INSTANT! AND NO MAIL, THAT IS NOT A TOY! STOP FLICKING THE BUTTONS! I SAID STOP FLICKING, DAMN IT!"_

'_Oh thank the lord I don't have to listen to that for the next hour or so.' Raito thought silently to himself as he climbed into his automobile and turned the ignition. _

_After a glance up, he noticed the three boys staring out the window, L seemingly oblivious of their actions. Raito smiled over at them and waved, the boys waving back enthusiastically in return. As Raito pulled out of the driveway, the small children's eyes trailed after the exiting car, wondering when their father would be back home. _

"_Maybe he'll bring us toys!"_

"_Or chocolate!"_

"_Or video games!"_

"_Or peace and quiet, for once." L pulled the boys back from the window and shut the curtain. "I suggest all of you go play. I refuse to entertain you, for who knows what kind of havoc that would lead to."_

"_Ok!"_

* * *

"_Hmm…" Raito stared at the various toys, arms already full of chocolate and video games, contemplating which Nate would like the best. He had already purchased the boy his replacement Power Rangers, but it never hurt to spoil the kids just a tiny bit more. _

_Really, Raito just loved the looks on their faces when he came home with presents. _

'_L's right… I really do spoil those kids way too much.' Raito smirked as he grabbed a couple of items of the shelves. 'But I'm still their favorite, so who cares?'_

_Nobody ever said Raito wasn't competitive by nature._

_The brunette sighed as he retreated from the toys section of the store and finally made his way to the counter, not noticing the dark shadow following him from behind. 'Time to go home, time to go home… L better be getting dinner ready. And I mean now.' _

"_Hello, sir!" A bubbly red head (which was obviously dyed) with pink streaks (as if once wasn't enough) smiled gregariously at Raito as he politely shrugged her off. She quickly rattled off the total amount of the items, her smile turning almost flirtatious. _

_As Raito took out his wallet, he absently noticed her eyes widening, the smile slowly dropping off her face. Before Raito could ask what the problem was, he felt something icy in the back of his neck. _

_**It was cold.**_

"_Hello there…" _

_Raito froze, the cashier in front of him paralyzed in shock and fear. _

"_Done shopping, are we?" _

_No words escaped Raito's lips as he heard the man cock the trigger._

_**The barrel was cold.**_

"_Who are you? What do you want?" Raito finally whispered after a couple of seconds of silence. _

_That voice…_

"_You don't need to know any of that, now do you, __**Raito-kun**__. Now, turn around, please." _

_**The man's eyes…**_

"_Wha-" Raito's eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder and was met with glossy ebony eyes and a familiar looking face obscured by shaggy dark hair. "No…"_

_**So much like the man he loved.**_

_A facetious smile overcame the man's face as his finger pulled back on the trigger, dark eyes gleaming in delight-_

_**Cold. **_

_**Everything was cold.**_

_A loud 'Crack!' overcame Raito's senses, as the other man's lips moved, and pieces of words managed to make it to Raito's ears._

"_Make sure… L… Happy Birthday."_

_**And wet.**_

_Pain encompassed Raito's whole being as he felt something sliding down his head, the shock beginning to settle in. _

_**Sticky and wet.**_

'_Lawliet…' _

_**Why couldn't he see?**_

_**Why was it so…**_

_**Cold.**_

_And that was Raito's final thought before-_

_**Pain was the last thing he felt, as Raito drifted into the darkness…**_

* * *

_**L…**_

_**Why?**_

_**Why?**_

_**Why?**_

_**Why…**_

* * *

Raito was immediately aware that he was not alone the moment he came to.

A heavy set of breathing was heard on his right side, almost bordering on hysterical. It almost sounded as if someone was crying…

Who was crying?

Eyes cracked open as a slumped figure next to him, seemingly pulled within itself, sobbed as quietly as possible. Raito shifted a small bit until wide obsidian orbs, shiny with tears, peeked over white sleeves.

"Raito-kun?" A tiny voice whispered, cautiously pulling down arms away from his face.

'It's so similar… if I haven't known Lawliet as I do, I would have thought-' Raito cut himself off mid-thought as he tried to re-collect his thoughts.

L knew why he was attacked.

L knew who his attacker _was_.

What was he supposed to say?

"_Hey, L? So, who was it exactly that attempted to kill me? Did you know they also happen to look just like you? Isn't that funny? Ha ha! Being shot by somebody who not only __**looks**__ like my lover, but __**knows**__ him too? That's just hil-ar-ious!" _

That was an unpleasant conversation in the making.

"Lawliet…" Raito lowered his gaze towards the sheets, not moving even as the bed shifted under his boyfriend's weight and arms were wrapped around his slim figure. "Rai-chan… please, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for this."

Raito blinked.

"You're… sorry?" A dark head of hair moved on top of Raito's shoulder, cool tears soaking through the thin hospital gown and onto the man's soft skin. "You shouldn't be sorry."

L tightened his grip on the younger man's body as a shaky laugh escaped his pale lips. "I knew who he was, I knew what he wanted, and I did not tell you a thing when I should have, therefore allowing my Rai-chan to get heavily injured, if not almost killed. I think that warrants at least an apology, Raito."

"You weren't the one who pulled the trigger, Lawliet."

"It might as well have been. I am quite sure that is what it must have felt like, once you actually managed to get a look at the man's face."

Raito closed his eyes as he reached up and grasped his lover's arms. "For a moment, I thought it **was** you."

L's breathing stopped altogether.

"But then…" Raito continued on, as if the sudden halt of all movement hadn't bothered him in the least. "When I really looked into his eyes…"

_**The man's eyes… so much like the man he loved.**_

'So much like L's, but not the same.'

"I knew it wasn't you."

"Raito-kun-"

"You should have told me, L. You shouldn't have kept whatever it was that you were hiding to yourself, but I can't keep looking at the past and wondering 'what if's'. So take this blame out of your chest, and tell me **now**." Watery orbs of charcoal hesitantly gazed up at Raito's worn out visage as streaked cheeks trembled. "Tell me, so we can move past this and get on with our lives."

"I…"

"Lawliet?"

"He used to be… my lover. A long, long time ago. I broke it off, after one fight too many. He just became _crazed_ after that. The person I thought he was…" L shook his head as the memories came rushing forward in a flash. "He never existed."

"I…"

"Rai-chan got hurt because this man was obsessed with me, and I did not tell him. I wanted to preserve everything we had made, to forget about that horrible past and, in the process, create a wonderful present and future. In doing so, I discounted on the fact that in order to have a peaceful resolution, one must confront their doings from previous experiences. If I am guilty of anything…"

Raito stared down at L, his own eyes beginning to glisten with unshed tears. "It is of trying to let go of the past, and grasp on too tightly to this beautiful present."

Both men gazed at the other in silence, wondering the same thing as they stared into each other's water logged eyes…

_**Is it too late? **_

* * *

Continued in Next Installment…

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyways)

Midway: In the middle of the way or distance.

* * *

Wow, the drama. It kills. Literally, apparently. Lol! Many thanks to Kitsune55 for beta-ing this chapter! ((Sigh)) The next chapter is gonna be such a bitch to write...


	40. Midway

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

40. _Midway: In the middle of the way or distance. _

* * *

"We're going around in circles, you know." L stood passively by the window of the small hospital room as Raito lay on his side, eyes closed in thought.

"Are we?"

"Yes." Small rays of sunshine peaked through the curtains, illuminating the whiteness of the room setting. "If you hate me, I would rather you admitted it to me than just play with me like this, Raito-kun."

"I don't hate you L." Raito mumbled as he turned on his side and faced the disgruntled architect. "You know I don't hate you. Quite frankly, you need to stop talking out of your ass."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

Both men gazed at each other as the tension in the room wavered, both pairs of eyes pleading that the madness would just come to an end.

If only things were that simple.

* * *

"Daddy!" Mihael cried as he ran into the room and jumped on the bed, nearly knocking the wind out of poor Raito.

'One…'

"Dad!" Then came Mail, stampeding in with his PSP in hand. Goggles bounced up and down on his face as he joined Mihael and glomped the hell out of one of his fathers.

'Two…'

The last to join, Nate, calmly walked into the room, nodding over to L as he carefully climbed on top of the bed and squeezed (pushed) Mihael out of the way, ignoring the squawk of resentfulness that came spurting out of the small blonde's mouth. Nate hugged his parent as tightly as his small arms could, nuzzling his chest rather affectionately as Mihael glared at him out of the corner of his eye.

"… … … Hello, daddy."

Raito sweat dropped.

'Three.'

"Hello, boys."

Three sets of eyes gaped up at him from their spots on Raito's hospital bed, anticipation written neatly on each of their youthful faces.

"Uh… is there something on my face?" The prone father asked his children once the vapid open-eyed stares began to wear him down. Three heads shook simultaneously as L covered his mouth to muffle the chuckle bubbling up from his throat.

Raito glared at him, just because he could.

"We just missed you is all." Cried Mihael as he in turn pulled Nate off his daddy and jumped into his arms himself. "This is your third day being awake, and we haven't even properly celebrated yet!"

"And by that he means, 'we haven't even gotten to eat any damn chocolate cake yet!'" Mail mocked whilst fiddling with his gaming device, nestled next to Raito, but out of the way of the Nate-Mihael never ending struggle. Of course, insulting Mihael while trying to stay out of the perpetual fight was a stupid idea…

But Mail was too into his game to actually care.

"Hell yeah that's what it means, you ass!"

"Mihael! For the last time, watch your language." Raito's eye twitched as the oldest of the three pouted, Nate taking advantage of the moment by finally kicking him out of the bed (literally) and snuggling up within his father's arms.

"NATE!"

"Daddy needs to come home soon." Nate mumbled as he lazily closed his eyes against the young man's chest. "We never have any time with you to ourselves anymore."

Raito said nothing more as he glanced over at L, matching the other man's vacant expression with one of his own. Mihael climbed back on the bed, glaring vehemently at his younger (creepy) brother before giving a hesitant nod of agreement at his words.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the creepy eyed kid with girly hair."

"I think you're one to talk about girly hair, Britney Spears." Mail muttered as Mihael's angry glower was transferred to him in a moment's notice.

"Is this "Pick-On-Mihael" day? I swear, if you guys don't stop messing with me, I'll-"

"What? Admit how fruity you are? At least you wouldn't have to worry about whether or not our parents would 'accept you for who you are'. You're pretty much in the safe, my friend. Now say it like this; We're here, we're queer, GET USED TO IT!"

"God damn it, Mail!"

"Oh, I give up." Raito slumped against the headboard of the bed as laughter bubbled up from beside him, L's gleeful smile softening his mood, if only slightly.

"Please children, allow your father some time to breathe."

Three pouts simultaneously hit L all at once as he gave them his equally vicious blank stare, the small children backing down almost immediately at the sheer intenseness of it.

Raito smiled at the lanky man, the affection he felt silently pouring through his eyes as L's own gaze met his own. L grinned as well, the children bouncing happily as their parent's gave each other googly-eyes.

It was the simplicity of these kinds of moments that made the young man wonder just why he doubted the validity of this relationship. It was obvious L adored him and the children…

But-

'If he can't even tell me about his past after almost four years of being together, is there any real trust here? I can't just keep going on blind faith anymore…' The smile on Raito's face dimmed as L's own expression began to close itself off once more.

The children said nothing more as the tense silence reverberated within the room; their two fathers' wondering just how to fix something so fragile and, formerly, pristine.

What do you do when you can't even trust your lover to not feed you continuous lies?

* * *

"_What are you doing?!" _

_CRASH!_

"_Err… sleeping?" _

_Raito sweat dropped. _

"_While lying on top of me like a sack of potatoes?"_

"_It's the only way… to… lie?" _

"_Yeah…"_

_Raito picked himself off the floor, crawling into the bed once more. "Maybe you should find some different kinds of sleeping habits." _

"_This is the first time Raito-kun is staying in my house, and I must say, I am adequately disappointed by the lack of-"_

"_Action?"_

"_I wouldn't have phrased it so crudely, but… yes. Damn it, yes!" _

"_You're funny, L." _

"_I'd be even funnier if you'd only-"_

"_Come here, you idiot." _

_Raito pulled the architect on top of him once more, silencing the older man with a simple kiss. _

"_If you wanted me, all you had to do was ask." _

"_Oh."_

* * *

Raito's eyes snapped open as the old memory came creeping into his dreams, breathing evening out as he lifted himself up from the bed.

"Is Raito-kun alright?" L whispered as he stood up from the seat beside Raito's bed, eyes weary from hours of wakefulness.

"I just…" Tanned hands beckoned the architect to come closer as L shuffled his way to the bed, wondering just what was on his partner's mind. "Could you please just come over here and hold me?"

L nodded quizzically as he laid his body down onto the bed and clasped his arms around the lawyer, heart strongly beating within his chest. "Does Raito-kun remember what I asked him before he…"

Maple brown eyes drowsily shut as the words infiltrated his mind,

This was it…

This was the moment he had been waiting for, six and a half months in the making, before he had even exited his home to ultimately face his forced internal incarceration.

He'd never felt more terrified in his life.

* * *

"_You're so stupid!" Raito chuckled as L jumped on top of him, the bed squeaking from their combined weight. "Only __**you**__ would think of trying to propose to me, you idiot. I mean, really!" _

_L pouted, as he lay his head on Raito's shoulder, eyes widening ever so slightly. "Does that mean Raito-kun is saying no?" _

"_I didn't say that!" The brunette cried out indignantly as a smile spread over his lover's face. _

"_Then Raito-kun is saying yes?" _

"_I didn't say that either." _

_L blinked as he lifted himself up off Raito's chest and stared down at his boyfriend's perfect face. "Then what is Raito-kun trying to say, because quite frankly, I am confused." _

"_Well…" Raito bashfully looked down at their bed sheets, carefully tracing their designs with his eyes. "Marriage is supposed to be forever."_

"_Yes." L prodded as Raito halted. Onyx orbs narrowed as Raito still refused to meet his gaze. _

"_Forever is a long time, L."_

"_I suppose for others it may seem so," L drawled out as his grip on the cherubic young man tightened. "But to others, it may not seem long enough." _

"_I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment, L." Raito blinked as he felt the pressure of L releasing him and looked up only to find narrow black embers encompassing his vision. _

"_Not… ready?" _

"_L, I didn't mean it like-"_

"_We have been together for nearly four years, we have three children together and are living the suburban dream, and you feel you are not ready for __**marriage**__?" The younger of the two leaned forward on his elbows, sepia locks tumbling attractively over his equally stunning gaze. _

"_It's a big step, Lawliet. I'm only saying that we should probably just-"_

"_Does Raito-kun…" L interrupted his lover before he could finish his sentence, his eyes far away from the situation at hand. "Not want to be with me forever?" _

_A heaved out sigh was L's only warning before arms encased him and a steady heartbeat met his ears. _

"_I think we've both been together too long to not want to always be together…" Raito nuzzled his boyfriend's hair affectionately as he felt the body on top of his own steadily relax itself. "No matter how annoying we find the other." _

"_Raito-kun finds me annoying?" _

"_I doubt this is old news, Einstein." _

_L pouted as his eyes gleamed with mischief. Though the man was light, it did not mean he was not strong, something Raito found out the first night they had had sex. _

_The architect was definitely not someone to be pushed around. _

_Without having to strain himself, L reclined his body over Raito's, exerting most of his strength to keep the younger of the two thoroughly held him down to the bed. Breathing began to thoroughly escalate as Raito's face flushed, half-lidded eyes giving L a rather sultry look. _

"_You're lucky you're not heavy you know." Raito pouted from underneath the skinny man as L pinned the former effortlessly onto the mattress._

* * *

"Yes." Raito answered simply, not knowing what else he could possibly say at the moment.

L said nothing after that, his grip on the handsome lawyer tightening just the tiniest of amounts as he shut his eyes.

"Lawliet?"

"Yes, Raito-kun?"

"I think… I can answer you now. A truthful one, without any bullshitting attached."

Shadowy eyes peered at the man next to them in small slits. "What…"

A mutual silence descended over the both of them as they both gathered their thoughts, the darkness of the room shrouding the uneasy atmosphere with a tinge of familiar comfort. Hands groped onto the other as both L and Raito held onto their own lifelines, finally taking the inevitable plunge that had been there the whole time.

* * *

To Be Continued in Next Installment…

Sneak Peak (At the word, anyways):

Resistant: Giving, capable of, or exhibiting resistance.

* * *

Ha. Cliff hanger, biatches. XD I'm so evil, it actually hurts a little. But only a little. Lol! Everybody thank Kitsune55 for beta-ing, especially since she got it done so wicked fast. Praise her, damn it. Now, off to write the next chapter. Woosh!


	41. Resistant

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

41_. Resistant:_ _Giving, capable of, or exhibiting resistance. _

* * *

Bare obsidian eyes gazed at the scene in front of them, as two lovers embraced one another, words dwindling into sweet silence.

He almost felt sick just imagining what they could be saying, let alone what they were _doing_.

B moved away from the window of the small hospital room and jumped onto the tree branch he had swung from to get there. All the sappiness was starting to make his stomach curdle, and really, who wanted to watch a warm, gooey love scene when they could have so much more fun ruining it instead?

Plans began to formulate within the man's mind, a smirk intertwining around his lips as he climbed down the tree and leapt onto the grassy ground.

'So many lives to wreck… so little time.'

B shoved his hands into his pockets and gave one last look towards the direction of the window he had just been peering into, before strolling off into the vastness the city streets had to offer.

'And trust me, Law-li-et.' The dark haired man thought stingingly. 'You'll know what true pain is by the end of our wonderful waltz.'

* * *

It was odd, really.

As the two stared into each other's eyes, breaths held in halted anticipation, both seemed to notice the little things about the other's features that they had never really taken into account beforehand.

That little twitch in Raito's left eye when he was thinking intensely about the situation at hand…

The tiny frown perched on L's lips whilst thoughts ran through his mind in a rapid race…

That enigmatic emotion settled deep within Raito's hazel brown eyes as he held onto Lawliet…

The small batch of wrinkles gathering around L's almost completely obscured forehead, hair concealing most of the creases on display…

That minute sliver of skin continually peeking through Raito's hospital gown around the dipping collar as he slowly inhaled and exhaled…

The way L's fingers clenched against Raito's hip as a small drop of sweat rolled down his cheek, wondering, not for the first time, if this was truly the end…

"Raito-kun…"

"Lawliet…"

So similar, yet still so different in so many ways.

That was the inevitable spiral of their relationship.

It was what sustained them, even through the roughest of times.

"You're not ready." Raito said simply, eyes shining with an uncommon amount of honesty.

"You mean you're not ready." L countered after a second of silence, dark eyes narrowing under Raito's crystal clear stare.

"No…" Raito sighed as he relaxed his muscles within the tightening embrace. "I mean _you're_ not ready. As in, you, L Lawliet, the man I happen to be so in love with that I'm willing to be completely honest to, even though I really don't want to be."

L frowned at the man laying down across from him, mouth thinning in visible frustration.

"Raito-kun is obviously mistaken."

"No, I know exactly what I'm talking about, and I think it's you who doesn't know what he wants, Lawliet." Raito watched as the older of the two began to pull away from the once loving grip, only to pull him closer towards his person. "Don't push me away, L. Just listen to me."

"Listening." L hissed out as he glared at the brunette in question. Onyx eyes darkened in frustration as L's temper began to slowly simmer under the usually blank surface.

"If none of this would have happened, and I'd have said yes to your proposal, would you have told me about your crazed stalker?"

"…"

"L?"

The silence overwhelmed the tiny room, causing L to choke on the words resting on the tip of his tongue. What could he say?

The truth was…

'_No.'_

The truth was something he knew Raito did not want to hear.

Raito finally pulled away from the architect, an emotional barrier pulling up between them. The sudden anger L had felt began to slowly slip away from his mind, a glassy sheen encasing his vision as Raito's face took on a stoic value to it.

L didn't even have to verbalize what his answer would have been.

Raito could read him rather flawlessly.

"Why _did_ you want to get married, _L_?" Raito asked rather dismissively, painful pricks of ice shooting from his eyes, trying to pry the truth from L's unyielding grasp. "Or how about this-why do you still want to get married _now_, with all of this going on? Have you even actually asked yourself if this was a good idea or not? I need to know, _L, _because I'm simply at a loss."

"Raito, I-"

"Everyday that we were together, I gave you more of myself than I ever thought I could. I practically laid my life at your feet." Raito then snorted, turning away from the distraught architect to face the wall. "Actually, that's a lie, isn't it? I didn't practically do anything. These last four years, my life **has **been in your hands… I just didn't know it at the time."

Silence met Raito's ears as tears gradually slid down his flushed cheeks. His eyes shut, trying to control his now unsteady breathing, a last hasty attempt of at least pretending to have some sort of control.

"Was it really just an illusion? A way to erase the bad by trying to create some good, even if it was just a lie? Because this feeling inside me doesn't feel… false, L. Not one bit." There was a slight shuffle of movement behind the young lawyer before a cool arm encircled his waist.

Russet hair overshadowed Raito's eyes as the grip tightened, warm breath tickling the back of his neck, an interlude of pure silence cascading the scene of mock-tranquility.

"Is this really a lie?" Raito whispered once more, the tears drying out against his smooth skin.

L gently kissed his neck, his legs interlacing with his lover's.

"I have lied to you about so many things…" L sunk his face into the brunette's growing locks as he took in the fresh smell Raito always seemed to exude, thanks much in part to the man's obsessive regimen of cleanliness. "But my feelings were never one of them."

Raito slowly regulated his breathing, eyes drooping in a wave of tiredness. The familiar body behind him emanated nothing but warmth as honey brown eyes finally closed, falling into the numbing void the nothingness of sleep always had to offer once more.

* * *

L slowly stroked Raito's midsection as he contemplated the day's events and the stinging truth to Raito's words. He had not given nearly enough of what had been expected in this relationship as Raito had, and L knew the brunette would not easily forgive this.

The lies he had fed the young man to keep him from asking too many questions were now slowly unraveling, the safety he had created disappearing from under his very feet and strangling him in retribution.

'If there is one thing I could do, Raito-kun, and one thing only,' L sighed as he enveloped Raito further into his own embrace, 'I would simply want to make you happy…'

"Even if I wasn't the one doing so."

Small beeps from the machines surrounding the two lovers drowned out the small confession as L closed his eyes, and daydreamed about the next day to come.

* * *

"They're sleeping…" Mail whispered as he put his game on silent and perched himself on the small couch next to the window.

"Of course they're-wait, what?! It's not even five and they're sleeping?!" Mihael gasped as he ran to the bed and waved his hand in front of Raito's face. "Well I'll be damned…"

"Perhaps they were tired?" Nate added in as he shuffled into the room, pushing the chair closest to Raito and pulling it up dangerously close to his father's bedside, shoving Mihael out of his way as he sat down.

The blonde practically seethed as he picked himself up from off the floor and grabbed another chair, pulling it right next to Nate's. "Perhaps you need to shut the hell up."

"And perhaps you need to get laid." Mail chirped from the window.

"HEY!" Came the unpleasant, but foreseen shout.

"Mihael does not understand the concept of 'nice and quiet', does he?" Nate quipped as he brought out his G.I. Joes and began pretending they were stuck in a desert fortress… away from Mihael.

"Gr…"

"Should I get you a dog collar for that growl, you sexy beast, you?"

"Ass-hole…"

"Have either of you noticed the amount of tension between our fathers?" Nate suddenly brought up before Mihael could tackle Mail out of the two-story window.

"I think you'd have to blind to be oblivious to that kind of awkwardness." The redhead farthest away answered.

"You're so eloquent Mail." Blonde hair bobbed up and down in agreement, even whilst Mihael insulted the middle child. "Really, you should be a writer in years to come."

"Why thank you."

"What do you suppose is the problem?" The older boys shrugged as they simultaneously turned to the other, Nate now giving them both his full attention.

"I don't know. Mihael?"

"Like hell I would know. And stop giving me that damn look, even I'm not that much of a troublemaker you game-ophile."

Mail pondered the situation at hand as he put his game on pause and gave his parents a thoughtful look. "Hm… I think they need a good ol' fashion child-intervention."

"Dude, seriously?"

"I think that is actually a good idea." Nate acceded as he grabbed one of his G.I. Joes and threw it at the back of Mihael's unsuspecting head.

"Fuck, Nate!"

"Is that not exactly what you said you did not want to do, Mihael?"

"I'M NOT GAY, GOD DAMN IT!"

Nate smirked, eyes drooping in satisfaction. Mihael was so funny when he was mad.

"Do you want to see our family be destroyed by whatever the hell this is, you two?" Mail suddenly cut in, pulling off his goggles to show just how serious he was being.

Mihael turned his own dark gaze to the two men peacefully sleeping on the bed, Nate doing the same as both contemplated the meaning of an actual separation.

"They wouldn't do that to us, right?" Mihael whispered as Nate frowned to himself. "They love each other and us too! They wouldn't…"

Mail got up from the window and stood behind his siblings, gazing down at the prone bodies in front of them.

Raito sighed as he fought the last clutches of sleep, his eyes blearily blinking as his son's faces came into view. Eyes still red from the incident from earlier and lack of efficient sleep, the young man tried to smile, but could only manage a small grimace in its stead.

"Boys…"

L jerked awake as Raito shifted in his arms, his own eyes not faring much better than Raito's.

"Ah." L cleared his throat, pulling himself up in an attempt to appear more 'vibrant.' "Hello, children."

The sudden iciness of the room caught the three kids off guard as both men struggled to maintain their consciousness.

Mail looked down at Nate and Mihael.

Mihael turned to glance at both Mail and Nate.

Nate turned towards Mihael and Mail.

Something had to be done, and it had to be done **now**.

"You guys can't keep doing this." Mihael began; turning away from his brothers to give both his fathers a piece of his mind.

"What do you-"

"Don't give us that 'oh, we didn't do anything!' crap." Mail cut in, his gaze burning both adults without his goggles to block out his sight. "You know what we're talking about."

"Yes," Added Nate as he solemnly looked up at his fathers. "The way the both of you are acting has become quite distressing on our parts, and we find that we can not continue to keep quiet any longer."

"Yeah!" Mihael jumped out of his seat, barely towering over the two still laying flat out on the bed. "We don't know what the hell is going on, but it seems you guys have forgotten _**just who your kids are**_!"

"And quite frankly, you're both acting more like kids than we are." Mail crossed his arms as he nodded in acceptance of this fact.

"We do not know what is going on-"

"Damn straight!"

"And maybe it is not our place to know-"

"What? Of course it is!"

"But you must understand-"

"Understand my ass; stop treating us as if we're a bunch of idiots!"

"We do notice when you both treat the other differently, and since our daddy has woken up-"

"Which should've been our happy time!"

"Something feels quite awkward. And…"

"And?"

"Mihael, shut the hell up."

"Hmph."

"And…" Nate looked up at Raito's glassy eyes, his own gaze stinging with unshed tears, even more upset at the thought of his father crying than anything else. "And we love you too much to see you throw it away like this. Please don't stop loving each other. Not now, and most definitely not ever."

"I…"

L buried his face into Raito's bare neck, hair tickling his face as Raito attempted to say something to the children.

"I…"

His grip tightened as Raito began to tremble, onyx eyes darkening even further in color.

"You do not have to worry, children."

Raito's body stiffened in his arms as the words came out unbidden from L's mouth.

"I will attempt all I can to make your father happy. I…" Warmth encased the cool, pale hand L had settled over the brunette's hip as Raito's body slowly relaxed beside him. "I will do what I can to fix this. That, I can promise."

They two men still laying on the bed barely heard the exhalation of breaths as the three boys wearily glanced at each other.

Even though the awkwardness of the room began to disintegrate little by little, and the quiet tension eased itself off both of the men's shoulders, something still itched itself in the back of their minds.

'Am I missing something?' L thought to himself as reveled in the sweet smelling skin before him, dark eyes closing once more as Raito continued to speak to the three boys, words of reassurance floating into the back of the architect's mind. 'What am I forgetting?'

As L continued to rifle through his mind's thoughts, in a small apartment not too faraway, someone was steadily planning both his and his lover's demise…

And he would not stop until he had them both in his pungent grasp.

* * *

Dude... ((faints)) I think I've worked myself to death. Not cool. Anyways, muchos gracias to my wonderful beta, Kitsune55, who got this done super fast once again. Yay! So let's begin the countdown you guys! Nine more chapters til CSS is FINISHED! XD Aren't you excited?


	42. Indissoluble

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

42. _Indissoluble: Not capable of being dissolved, undone or broken_

* * *

"I hate you."

Raito's even words, though mouthed, came across loud and clear towards one insomniac detective, who watched the scene before him in undisguised glee.

"Misa-Misa loves Raito soooooo much! We should do something together, and then snuggle, and then do something else-" Blonde hair covered the better part of Raito's chest as the darkly dressed bubbly girl hung off his frame, nearly squeezing the life out of him as she babbled on incoherently.

"And then we could kiss, and then we could do something else-"

Oh, Raito hated that stupid detective with a passion.

"Ryuuzaki…" The 17-year-old drawled out, discreetly attempting to pull the she-banshee off of his person. "Don't we have some **serious** work to do?"

"Eh?" Matsuda called out, not noticing Raito's ploy. "I thought you guys couldn't find any lea-"

"REALLY, RYUUZAKI. SERIOUS WORK. NOW."

L hid his mischievous smile behind a well-placed thumb and tilted his head to the side, enjoying the sight of a purely frazzled Raito too much to want to see it end just yet.

"We have nothing that needs our immediate attention at the moment, Raito-kun. I am sure Amane-san can stay for a little while longer."

As the words escaped L's lips, Raito's eyes grew ten times their size, the imperceptible shaking of his head giving him a bobble-head-esque sort of look.

"Really?!" Misa cried out as she clung tighter to the unwilling young genius. "YAY!"

"I HAVE TO USE THE BATHROOM!" Raito cried out as he finally peeled the young girl off of him and practically dragged the detective to the facilities via chain.

"WAIT, RAITO! I'LL COME AND-"

SLAM!

"Watch the pervert."

Misa pouted before throwing herself down into Raito's former chair.

"Oh, pooh ."

* * *

"You… are evil." Raito glared at the older man, ready to strangle him for the umpteenth time.

But that would raise his Kira percentage… even if the detective seriously deserved a damned thrashing or two.

'Damn ass-hole.'

"I do not know what Raito-kun is talking about. I am not evil. I am justice." L gave the handsome boy a half a smirk as Raito sat down on the toilet seat; still continuing to glare at the sugar-crazed insomniac for all that he was worth.

"Justice my left ass cheek."

"Now that sounds kinky."

"L!"

"Raito-kun!"

"You really are a pervert."

"Only towards Raito-kun."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!"

"… … … No."

"Listen," Raito began, placing one hand on his hip and ran the other through his chocolate tresses. "I know you're still upset over the whole 'Jell-o' incident, but-"

"That was perfectly good Jell-o I will never be able to get back, Raito-kun." L stated with a glare.

"What you are doing now is childish, and cruel-"

"If I am being cruel, then Raito-kun was truly being Satan's incarnate when he shoved all that Jell-o up my-"

"I mean, Misa of all things?! I wouldn't even inflict her on my worst of enemies!"

"You mean me, Raito-kun?"

Raito's eye twitched as the other man faintly smirked.

"And if I said yes?"

"… Up thirteen percent."

Eye twitch.

"I thought so."

Raito scowled as he plopped down on the bathroom floor, bringing L down with him in a heap of white, blue and black. "I'm not going back out there."

"Raito-kun-"

"No."

"It is only for a little-"

"No."

"It was just a jo-"

"No."

"Would you like for me to send Amane-san away?"

"…"

Raito gave L a cold look of contempt.

"Is that a yes?"

"What do you think, Mr. Genius?"

L sighed as he pulled out his cell phone from his back pocket and quietly dialed a number, bringing the phone as closely to his ear without it actually touching it.

"Watari? Could you please escort Amane-san to her room… or just about anywhere very _far away_ from both Raito-kun and I in general?"

Raito perked up a little bit-

"Thank you, Watari. You may also tell the rest of the investigation squad to go home. Raito-kun and I have personal business to attend to."

The younger genius then vibrantly blushed.

"Err… Ryuuzaki…"

"Of course. I will keep the chain on at all times. It will be fine."

"Oh dear sweet Kami…"

"I could gag him as well if that would make you feel better, Watari-"

"WHAT?!"

"Ah yes, I had forgotten that you had just gotten those new whips in yesterday…"

"OK, TIME TO GET TO WORK NOW!"

"She is gone now? And the investigation team is now commencing in leaving? You may begin to get the straps ready, Watari."

Click.

'WTF?!'

"I think I prefer it in here." Raito muttered out, compacting himself against the wall as he stared up at L with impossibly wide eyes.

L smirked at his suspect, his thumb resting on his lips as he re-pocketed his cell phone. "Raito-kun is not pleased?"

Raito jerked on the chain half-heartedly, a small frown encasing his face as he wished the damn thing to Hell and beyond.

"This should teach Raito-kun to not mess with my Jell-o."

Thunk!

Raito stared up at the ceiling as L chuckled darkly.

'My ass is gonna be sore tonight…'

* * *

Lol! And it all started with some innocent strawberry Jell-o. It's better not to ask. O.o; Nobody messes with L's Jell-o bitches. XD Thanks to Kitsune55 for beta-ing and thank you guys for reading! Eight more chapters...


	43. Existence

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

43. _Existence: Continuance of living._

* * *

"That is my Jell-o."

Wide obsidian orbs narrowed as Raito blinked, a spoonful of the wiggly substance merely centimeters away from his open lips.

"Huh?"

"That. Jell-o. Is. Mine."

"Says who?" Raito snapped, shoving the spoon back into the small container and placing it on the table next to him.

The chain between them became taut.

"Says me." L's eye began to twitch as the younger man crossed his arms, the Jell-o still within his vicinity. "It is my kitchen, my refrigerator within said kitchen, and my money buying the food within said refrigerator, which I will now reiterate in saying is **mine**. Therefore, that is MY Jell-o."

"Are you seriously going to fight about Jell-o?" Raito sought the higher ground, not wanting to waste his breath on something so menial and beneath his awesome genius. "There are more Jell-o packets in the fridge if you really want some damn Jell-o that badly."

"That is not sufficient." The sugar addicted insomniac absently scratched his foot against the jeaned calf of his leg whilst his gaze shifted to the Jell-o cup on the table, his index finger pointing straight at the delicious gelatin innocently waiting to be eaten. "I want that one in particular."

"Why?" The 17-year-old peered at the detective strangely, the age-old competiveness he always seemed to embrace around the annoying older man rankling up within the back of his mind.

"I am L. I do not need to explain myself to you." L shoved his hands in his pockets as his gaze fully settled on the Jell-o.

Raito stared at the detective.

"… You're seriously going to be evasive about Jell-o."

L stared right back.

"And if I am?"

"Does every damn question I ask you have to be answered so ambiguously?" Raito cried out, his hands flailing around him in frustration. A frustration he only felt when he was around L, mind you.

"Raito-kun, I am afraid that if you continue to ask me idiotic questions, I may be forced to harm you. Now please hand me the Jell-o so that we may get back to work. We are wasting valuable investigation time."

"Why do I have to give you **my** Jell-o? Why can't you just get your own Jell-o and _then_ get back to work?"

"Out of the question," L snapped, his patience visibly growing thin. "I want my Jell-o. If Raito-kun does not hand me said Jell-o, there is an 85 percent chance I will be forced to violence."

"Then bring it on, _Panda-chan_!"

"Oh, Raito-kun did not!"

"Oh yes I did!"

"Chance of Raito-kun getting his ass handed to him has increased by five percent!"

"What are you waiting for, Ryuuzaki! I don't have all day! Let's go, skinny boy, I'll kick your capoeira flipping ass all over the damn kitchen floor!"

"Raito-kun should just forfeit all rights of manly hood and hand me the Jell-o before he get's hurt! I refuse to go easy on him this time!"

"You're one to talk about easy!"

The sudden silence in the room was far louder than any verbal attack L could have unleashed at that moment. Both men glared at each other, one affronted, eyes locked on the sole cup of Jell-o lying on the table as the other stood his ground in front of said gelatinous substance.

"Raito-kun should take that back." L hissed, his eyes still concentrated on the Jell-o.

"Ryuuzaki should then get off my di-"

SMACK!

Raito lay on the ground for a moment, his face mimicking the shock he felt quite admirably. L grinned down at the prone body before making his way towards his prize, not noticing the leg methodically placed right in front of his path.

"Ack!"

Thunk!

Raito smirked over at the smoky haired man face first on the floor next to him as he slowly got up from the ground and turned around, ready to grab his hard earned treat-

Before L tackled him to the floor.

"If I cannot have that Jell-o, no one can!"

Super L Kick!

"Damn it, L! Stop being so damn melodramatic!"

Crazy Raito Punch!

"Raito is the drama queen of this relationship, not I!"

L's Tickle Torture of DOOM!

"Ha ha! Right now-ha ha-you're acting more the uke-ha ha-than I ever have! Damn it, get the fuck off!"

Raito finally shoved the older (yet impossibly much less mature) man off of him before standing up and jumping down on the skinny male.

"GAH! RAITO-KUN'S HUMONGOUS BUM IS CRUSHING MY VERTEBRAE! CHANCES OF BEING KIRA HAVE RISEN EXPONENTIALLY!"

"Who's the man now, biatch?!"

"Do I even want to know what is going on?"

Both man and boy stopped all movement as a weary voice interrupted their squabble, turning their heads to be faced with none other than Watari.

"Watari…"

"Uh, this isn't what it looks like…"

Watari blinked before shaking his head and walking out of the kitchen, muttering something about horny teenagers and perverted geniuses.

Raito and L sweat dropped.

"Where were we…?" L asked, still trapped beneath the prodigal 17-year-old.

"Oh, right." Raito nodded before shoving the detective's face onto the floor and laughing maniacally.

"Do you really want the Jell-o that badly, Ryuuzaki?"

Raito grinned evilly, eyes narrowed quite vividly.

Somehow, L knew what was to come would not be pleasant in the slightest.

* * *

Later on, whilst cleaning the remnants of Jell-o out of his ears, nose, hair and arm pits, L swore he would get his revenge.

'Oh Raito-kun, this means war… for the sake of all the poor abused containers of Jell-o in this world, you _will _pay.'

"Ryuuzaki, you still have some Jell-o stuck on your ass."

Eye Twitch.

Gritted Teeth.

"Thank you, Raito-kun."

'_You will pay_.'

* * *

And that is what started it all! XD I may switch this and chapter 42 around, since it makes more sense that way, but for now, this is how it will stay. Lol! Thanks to Kitsune55 for beta-ing, and see ya guys later!


	44. God

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

44. _God: A being or object believed to have supernatural attributes and powers that requires to be worshipped. _

* * *

It was easy to say that everything had fallen exactly like he had planned…

And later on, if asked about that time when he himself foiled the three greatest detectives in the world, that was exactly what he would say.

Raito was a being that thrived on success and perfection; anything less was simply not satisfactory.

Yet in that span of time when Yagami Raito had only _been_ Yagami Raito, he himself would have had quite a different story to tell…

* * *

The darkness of the room stifled the young man's breathing as a pair of tired mahogany eyes gazed restlessly into another monitor filled with useless facts and random statistics. Names upon names of people ran down the web page as Raito continued to read, yawning in eminent exhaustion.

"Ryuuzaki…" The teenager rasped as he stretched his arms far above his head, the cold steel links of the chain jingling against each other at the sudden movement of Raito's arms. "Is it alright if we go to bed now? It's almost 3 o'clock in the damn morning…"

"Hm… Raito-kun does not wish to pursue any of these potential leads further?" L asked himself, crouched abnormally on the chair next to the teenage prodigy. "Percentage of being Kira, up three percent."

"Are you serious?" Raito's usual perfect locks lay disheveled against his tired red-rimmed eyes, light bags hanging beneath them from severe lack of sleep. Overall, he did not look very pretty. "How can you be possibly raising the percentage over my dedication to this case when I haven't even slept for the past _two days_?!"

L gave the younger man a bored stare before returning his eyes back to his own screen, still scanning the potential names displayed in front of them. "Quite easily. Because I can, Raito-kun."

Raito said nothing as he reclined back onto the chair and attempted to keep his unsteady gaze on the computers in front of them.

It seemed Raito would not be getting any sleep tonight either.

* * *

"Ryuuzaki, _please_."

One more night of no sleep and Raito was positive he was going to lose his mind.

The young man looked absolutely miserable, his appearance rumpled as his tired face peered up at the detective. Raito laid his head against his arms on the small amount of space offered as the detective sighed in aggravation.

Well… that was a first.

"Ryuuzaki…" Raito continued to whine out, sounding suspiciously like Misa in L's mind. "I need sleeeeeeeep…"

"I am 65 percent certain that Raito-kun is exaggerating just to annoy me." L blandly stated as he began typing… something.

Raito was too tired to even care anymore.

"I'm not." Raito whispered, his voice breaking slightly as he coughed. "I didn't even mean to annoy you. I'm just tired, Ryuuzaki."

"Well, Raito-kun **is** annoying me, so **stop it** please. I have much to sort through by morning, as do you." The hard edge in L's voice shut Raito up before he could say anything else, ignoring the sugar addicted man's words as his eyes drowsily stared at the man for the rest of the night.

'I could be sleeping right now…' Raito thought to himself. 'Hm… I wonder what bananas would taste like with hot sauce... don't forget the peanut butter, mom...'

L's eye twitched as he suffered through the boy's glazed over gaze.

He had obviously not been amused.

* * *

"Raito-kun, would you please look over this for… me… Raito-kun?"

"…"

"Raito-kun."

"…"

"Raito-kun, wake up."

"…"

"Raito-kun is going to force me into action if he does not wake up now."

"…"

"Very well then."

A nudge of a foot and a tilt of a chair later had two men falling over, one shocked out of his restless sleep by pain of both the impact of the floor and impact of another body falling over his own, and the other shocked by his own stupidity and soft flesh beneath his own person.

"Ryuuzaki!"

"… I did not imagine this outcome. It seems that I had momentarily forgotten about the chain binding us together, Raito-kun. That is most certainly strange."

"Gr…"

"Well, time to get back to work. Let us get up, Raito-kun."

"You're the one on top of me, you bastard!"

"Ah…"

"Well?!"

"The chain… seems to be tangled around us. I cannot get us unstuck for the time being from the looks of it."

"…"

"…"

"I hate you."

"Up six percent."

"GAH!"

* * *

"Ryuu… Ryuu…"

Without any other warning, Raito fell over backwards, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he hit the floor. L came along a second later, falling over from lack of stability on one side as all the men in the room instantly got up to see what was happening.

"RAITO!" Soichirou gasped out as he ran towards his son. L slowly leaned up over the teenager's prone form, checking Raito's breathing and pulse rates. "What's wrong with my son?!"

The detective sighed as he glanced up at the concerned father, arms already intertwining with the body next to him as he hauled the genius up to his feet.

"He has fainted from exhaustion." Soichirou glared at L viciously, not needing an explanation on just why his son was so 'exhausted.' "I will take him up to our room now so that he may rest. If you'll excuse me, Yagami-san?"

Soichirou moved out of the stubborn detective's way as he fumed, just itching to give the man a piece of his mind.

L ignored the officer altogether.

'Raito-kun…'

The raccoon-eyed man had to admit that he did feel a small amount of sympathy for the young boy who obviously was not used to same conditions that L was. Not that he would ever admit that to his prime suspect.

God knows he would never hear the end of it.

'The things I do for you, Raito-kun.'

* * *

"It is time for bed, Raito-kun."

To say that Raito was shocked was an understatement.

"But it's only eleven…" The boy whispered, not sure where this new accommodating L was coming from.

Was he dreaming?

"I know. And it is Raito-kun's bed time." L stood up, turning off the monitors as the teenager glared at him, the patronizing remark not going unnoticed.

Yet if L was going to let him sleep…

Who was he to complain?

"Ok…"

The two men left the investigation room without another word, the only sound of the chain tinkling between them echoing throughout the lone room as both man and boy were left to their own thoughts.

* * *

Raito could feel someone staring at him.

And he knew who it was before he even opened his eyes.

But this was not what bothered the young boy.

He could also feel something weaving through his hair as whoever was gazing at his supposed sleeping form began whispering things to him…

"Raito-kun is so tenacious. I fear one of these days I shall actually hurt him during one of our physical confrontations…"

L…

"And as much as I wish I could say I would not care…"

Why was he talking to him in such a soothing voice? Where was the hard apathetic edge the detective so loved to favor when he was fully awake?

"That would be yet another lie. And I am so sick of lying, as strange and unreal as that sounds."

Raito concentrated on keeping his breathing smooth, so as not to alert the older man in his vocal musings.

"This game we both are playing shall end with both of us dead, especially if one or the other lets their weaknesses shine through. I know this. Yet if it is Raito-kun that is destined to kill me-"

The young boy could not hold the shiver he felt running up his spine as cool lips pressed against his forehead, arms now holding him close to other.

"Then I think I would not mind as much."

Raito slowly opened his eyes, a pair of expectant obsidian eyes shining through the dim light of the moon as a finger gently stroked his cheek.

Nothing was said for the rest of the night as both men simply gazed at the other, not sure what else could be (_should be_) said.

* * *

So now, a good year later from his time of faux-innocence and cold _(comforting_) chains_,_ as Yagami Raito lies in bed with Amane Misa clinging to his form, his eyes are still snapped open, wondering just what it was he was doing.

Restless nights filled with nothing but short passing dreams he could never remember come morning; feeling the eyes of someone continuously watching him as a cool touch, so fleeting, brushes against his forehead during light slumber.

If anyone asked Raito how he felt once the bothersome detective had died within his arms, he would have gladly said elated; no amount of joy could have equaled that of which watching the life slowly draining from those pitiful orbs filled with nothing but melancholy and regret.

Yet those were only words said to placate the many around him, stories to tell when the real thing threatened to consume him whole.

When one had to become God, sacrifices had to be made…

Even if it meant sacrificing one's own heart and morals.

* * *

Continued in Next Installment

Sneak Peak (At word, anyways):

Justice: The administration of what is just or right.

* * *

Next one isn't really an 'installment' as it is a companion to this chapter. But I think you can guess that by the word. XD Many thanks to my beta, Kitsune55 (who you should all thank as well... hint, hint) and thanks to you guys for reading. Six chapters to go you guys...


	45. Justice

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

45. _Justice: The administration of what is just or right._

* * *

It was easy to say that things had gone exactly as he had thought they would.

Looking back, as the unorthodox detective quietly stared up at the malicious smirk that lay on Yagami Raito's face in his last dying moments, L refused to admit he was disappointed.

L had always been a being that thrived on the predictable and inevitable outcomes.

So in the end, this all came as no shock.

Yet in the span of time when L Lawliet had only had his own and Raito's company in the dark hours of the night, he himself would have had quite a different story to tell…

* * *

"Ryuuzaki."

L dropped the donut he held within his two-finger grasp as Raito's mellow voice filled the void within the dark room, the tension from the night before stifling the atmosphere in all its cluttered glory.

"Last night…"

Dark hair obscured wide eyes as L bowed his head, not sure what he should say. The night before had been a mistake, words said that should never have been spoken, much less thought, had been whispered in the heat of the moment.

But Raito, it seemed, was willing to cross that fine line…

Something L wouldn't admit to being scared to do.

"Did you mean what you said?"

This was where L would have to make his choice. He had dug his own grave…

Now, he would have to lie in it.

Silence echoed throughout the room as L refused to look up into those hypnotizing caramel orbs, deceptively innocent, though L believed otherwise. Somewhere inside Yagami Raito lay the mysterious killer Kira, carefully hidden within the entity now displayed for all to see.

Could L take this chance? The last chance, in fact, he may ever have at even the smallest bit of happiness?

"Yes, Raito-kun. I did."

It didn't matter, anyway.

L doubted he'd live to see the end of the Kira investigation whether Raito was truly Kira or not.

* * *

"Alright, that's it."

Raito got up, jerking L along with him as the sugar addicted insomniac continued to munch on his cake, eyes widening at the sudden exclamation of anger.

"Why is Raito-kun so frustrated?"

"Well, let me ask you this, _L_." Oh, L knew he was in trouble when Raito said his name like that. "When was the last time you took a shower and just relaxed?"

"…"

L's impossibly wide ebony eyes got that much wider.

Cleanliness and relaxation weren't on his list of things to consider when trying to catch a mass murderer who magically killed people out of thin air and who had inner-monologues about wanting to rule the world.

L thought he had his priorities straight.

"C'mon. We are going to take a shower, and then we are going to get a proper night's sleep, whether you want to or not!"

Raito obviously did not.

"… … Will this shower somehow evolve into shower sex?" L absently asked as Raito began to pull him towards the elevator.

Raito's face turned a delicious shade of red before sputtering out indignantly.

"Ryuuzaki, let's go!"

L ignored the muttered 'pervert' and grinned lewdly.

That was a most definite yes.

* * *

Obsidian orbs scanned the information going down the screen, absorbed in the numbers and letters enrapturing his ever diligent gaze. One hand grasped a fork as the other continued to type rapidly, shoveling pastry in his mouth as L continued to scan the contents in front of him.

"Ryuu-za-ki…"

L ignored the first call.

"Ryuu-kun…"

L then proceeded to most definitely ignore the second.

"L-chan!"

All typing and chewing stopped abruptly.

"What did Raito-kun just call me?" The detective asked, his agitation hidden by the blandness of his voice. "Please tell me I was hearing things."

"Hearing things like what, L-chan?"

"Raito-kun! I am not, nor have I ever been called '_L-chan_,' so stop that this instance!"

"…"

Round hazel eyes appeared before the older man's gaze as L attempted to turn back to his work and at least _try _to get something done.

"But I'm tired…"

L's eye twitched.

"Please…"

If only they created a manual for these things.

"Fine. I am done anyhow. Let us go so Raito-kun may get the proper amount of sleep that is required to maintain his boyish, yet still feminine, features."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" The apparently androgynous man cried out, grabbing a mirror from out of his pocket and carefully expecting his gorgeously tan face.

"Whatever you would like it to mean, Raito-kun. Whatever you would like it to mean."

* * *

"Ryuu, I'm bored."

"…"

"Ryuu…"

"…"

"L."

"..."

"Are you awake?"

"…"

"You're just ignoring me, aren't you?"

"…"

"So I suppose if I just started stripping right now, you wouldn't-Oomph!"

Dark eyes glanced down at the body below them as the chain lifelessly hung on top said pervert smiled excitedly down at his lover.

"What was this Raito-kun said about stripping?"

"L…" Raito's eye twitched as he felt a vein throbbing against his temple. "There is a 100 percent chance that you are a complete and utter pervert."

"Just 100 percent, Raito-kun?"

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME, ALREADY!"

"Not until I am guaranteed my strip show."

"You would think that you would be more professional towards someone you thought was Kira." Raito dead panned, his mouth set in a thin line as he glared up at the detective, trying to get himself out of the death grip and hopefully into the bedroom…

To totally sleep, of course.

Yeah… sleep.

Right.

"Would Raito-kun prefer I were more formal?" The childish investigator pouted as his grip on the former Kira loosened, dark eyes taking on a rather mischievous look. "I think that would make me sad…"

"The cute look really doesn't work for you, Ryuuzaki." Raito stated flatly, waiting for the older man to finally get off his person. "Could you please give me some breathing space now?!"

"Why?"

"God damn it, Ryuuzaki!"

"That's not very nice, Raito-kun."

Raito threw his head back, connecting it with the floor beneath his body as he groaned in frustration.

"I'm not getting up anytime soon, am I?"

"No Raito-kun, you're not, but, think of this way, at least you're not bored anymore."

Raito sweat dropped.

* * *

Raito yawned as he stretched his arms above his head and continued to gaze at the monitors in front of him, not noticing the pair of deceptively void eyes keeping their sights discreetly on him.

"Gosh, I'm so freaking tired…" Raito yawned once again as he kept his eyes on the screen, L still staring at his drowsy figure. "Can't we go to bed yet, Ryuuzaki?"

L blinked as he was brought out of his daze by the pointed stare and the sound of his 'name.'

"What?"

"Bed?" Raito repeated, too tired to even sound annoyed at the insomnia ridden detective. "Can we please go to bed?"

"I… suppose so."

L slowly raised himself from his chair, body straightening for a moment before going to back to its usual hunch. A tiredness he himself had never actually felt before drained him, L almost stumbling against his own two feet as the two young men began to shuffle towards their room.

'It's going to be a long night…'

* * *

As tired as he had felt, L still had not been able to get any sleep.

He could not understand it.

The older man felt the 17-year-old shift beside him, a sleepy sigh escaping his lips as he continued to dream on, oblivious to L's own restless state.

Usually, when L was particularly tired, he was able to at least get an hour's sleep before waking up re-energized and whole. It was simply the way L's body had been programmed, even as a young child.

Whilst other children in the orphanage he had resided in would be pleasantly unconscious, he would still be awake, reading book upon book or recording the events of the newest police investigation shown on the news, testing his genius to its farthest of limits. Yet, whenever he had needed to simply shutdown and 'rest', he had been able to with no problem.

"L, what's the matter?"

L blinked as the muffled tenor voice exhausted with sleep reverberated within his ears, jolting him out of his reverie. "Raito-kun should be asleep."

"So should you." Raito shot back, turning around so that he was now facing the detective who lay in his signature fetal position. "Now tell me, what's the matter?"

"…"

Raito rolled his eyes at the solemn look on L's face, the man obviously torn between wanting to be comforted and not knowing if Raito was truly the person who he wanted such comfort _from_.

"Oh, just spare me the whole 'I am infallible Justice' act; just tell me why you can't sleep so that we can do something about it. I'm too damn tired for this shit."

"Raito-kun is so romantic." L dead panned, eyes fixated on the space of mattress in between them. "He truly knows how to sweep me off my feet."

"It's all a part of my charm." Raito moved closer to the bundle of detective beside him, poking him on his side in an attempt to get his full attention. "C'mon… what's up, L?"

"… … I would like to snuggle with Raito-kun."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"Really?'

"Yes."

"Really, reall-"

"Yes, Raito-kun. I want… to snuggle."

Raito sighed once more before grabbing the mound and pulling it closer to his person, awkwardly allowing the older man's arms access to his waist. L pulled himself out of his fetal position and straightened as best as he could, both men lying quite stiffly against the other's form.

"…"

"…"

Both men stared at each other for a full minute before coming to a shared realization.

'This actually feels comfortable.'

The tension rose just a bit…

Before a heady relaxation permeated the room.

"We shall never speak of this again." Raito mumbled, his eyes groggily shutting in exhaustion.

"Agreed." L smirked, his own gaze becoming blurred over as sleep began to fog his mental processes.

Both men slept contently, neither waking even once throughout the breaking of twilight and early morning dawn.

* * *

So now, not even a couple of weeks after his time of passionate kisses and phony (_fragile_) trust, as L Lawliet lay with the pain palpitating against his chest, whilst staring up at those once pure eyes, he wondered just why he did it.

Nights spent closer to another human being than he had ever been before, trying to hold onto a feeling that he knew was only fleeting, L wondered if he regretted putting his heart on the line and taking the chance.

If anyone had asked L how he had felt about Yagami Raito, he would have told them that he didn't care about the boy in the least; he was just another criminal meant to be placed behind bars and then put to death.

Yet those were only words said to placate the many around him, stories to tell when the real thing threatened to consume him whole.

When one had to play their role as Justice, sacrifices had to be made…

Even if it meant sacrificing one's own heart and life.

* * *

There we go; the companion piece, all nice and fluffed up with a tinge of angst. Lol! Many thank you's to my beta, Kitsune55, and thanks for reading you guys! We're really in the homestretch now... five more to go!


	46. Evermore

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

46. _Evermore: Forever._

* * *

In the end, it was all about choices.

Something L Lawliet didn't have very much experience with, thank you very much.

Before the half-baked schemes and endless running, all of the choices within L's whole existence had rested upon the weight of another. However L had always been the one to call the shots in a case, which was as far as it got.

His own life had always been planned out for him, and at the time, L had not had it in him to complain.

But all it took was the entrance of one weary-eyed five-year-old boy, with a hidden broken heart and an equally dark past to re-evaluate every little thing his life had had to offer.

He still remembered the first moment they had met…

* * *

"_L, it is time for dinner. Will you be coming down?" _

_Lawliet peered up from his crouched position on the floor, gazing intently at the man who had first rescued him all those years ago. Quillsh Whammy warmly smiled down at the boy, inwardly laughing at the honestly perplexed look on the 11-year-old's face. _

"_You want me to go downstairs for dinner?" Lawliet questioned, not sure how to take the sudden invitation. _

"_Of course. You've spent so much time cooped up in your room, I think you deserve a break from the boredom. Don't you want to spend some time with the other children, L?" Quillsh merely tilted his head to the side, the same fatherly smile attached to his face as Lawliet battled with himself internally. _

_Truthfully, he hated being around the other children. _

_They bothered him with their incessant questions and sorry attempts at one-upping his intelligence. In fact, the less time he spent away from the annoying ingrates, the better. _

_Well, that solved that dilemma. _

"_I'm fine, Mr. Whammy. Thank you for asking, though."_

_Quillsh Whammy simply smiled sadly as he closed the door the pre-teen's room and allowed him to get back to whatever it is that seemed to preoccupy the boy's fluxuating attention._

* * *

_Running…_

_He was always running…_

_Heartfelt cinnamon brown eyes glistened with tears as the small owner's legs ran down the unfamiliar hallways, not sure where he was going or why exactly he was running. _

_All he knew was that to stop running meant certain death, and death was…_

_Tears clouded the tiny boy's wide eyes, memories of the past couple of months nearly beating him into a submission he was not ready to break himself into. _

_Raito had to keep running…_

_Because his parents told him to, and if he still continued to listen to them, maybe they would come back somehow._

* * *

'_What is that noise…?'_

_Lawliet frowned as he stood up and shuffled towards the door, the sound of feet smacking against the hardwood floors irritating his poor ears and sensitive concentration. _

_Pale hands gripped the knob as the door silently slipped open, an ebony orb peering through the small crack. _

_A small blurb of brown, white, and black was making its way down the hallway, its fast pace making it near impossible to see the small boy's face. Without thinking, Lawliet pushed the door out even further to gather a slightly better look, not calculating the length of space between his door and the small boy rampaging towards it. _

_CRASH!_

"_OW!"_

_Lawliet blinked. _

_Raito blinked. _

_Lawliet blinked. _

_Raito blinked. _

_Lawliet blinked. _

_Raito blinked. _

"_You're an idiot." Raito stated calmly, rubbing his nose in an attempt to bring down the sudden swelling. Hopefully it wasn't broken…_

"_I was not the one running recklessly." Lawliet countered, not looking the least bit sorry. Raito glared up at the older boy, his sudden running spree pushing itself into the back of his head as the urge to argue with this insane boy, that had intentionally hurt him, overrode all other emotions. _

"_I'm also not the one who opened a door in front of said running boy, whom I saw beforehand!" Raito's flushed cheeks puffed out as the small boy stood on his tip-toes, attempting to meet the much taller 11-year-old in the eyes and failing miserably. "Do you enjoy beating up on five-year-olds, or was I the 1,000,000th customer?!"_

"_You are annoying." Lawliet deadpanned, not sure why he didn't just go back to his room and leave the ranting boy out in the hallway, where he clearly belonged. _

"_So are you!"The doe-eyed boy chided back, blowing his disheveled bangs away from his face as Lawliet began to chew on his thumb, head tilting to the side in interest. "And… and…"_

"_And?" _

_Raito said nothing more as he turned around, running back into the direction he came from, nor sure why this one annoying boy seemed to make him explode so suddenly. _

_Lawliet did not attempt to stop him as he watched the younger child run off, a part of him actually sad at the sudden lack of entertainment. Though the boy had been slightly agitating to talk to, there had been something magnetizing about him…_

_Either that, or Lawliet was severely lacking in human contact. _

"_Maybe I'll see you again little boy…"_

* * *

And how right L had been.

Whether it had been the forces of fate at work or the simple fact that life simply loved to screw the former detective over, both boys had been forced to interact with one another for as long as they could recently remember.

It took an actual full year before either of them would even acknowledge the other by their names, let alone call the other friend.

Stubbornness was a trait especially engrained within the both of them, and L doubted he would rather it any other way.

And to choose…

Hm.

To choose another path for the both of them was not even an option at this point.

So you see, in the end, it really was all about choices.

And Raito's large puppy dog eyes did little to make this choice especially easy, either.

"Rai-chan…" L whispered, making sure no one heard the name (albeit annoyed) coming from his lips.

Raito's eyes simply got wider and much more teary-eyed.

"Please, Lawli?" The 17-year-old pouted as the beginnings of L's resolution began to crack, the soft sound of his own nickname caressing his ears only.

"You'd think after all the time we've been together," L bit his lip as his eye twitched in annoyance. "That face would have no effect on me whatsoever."

"You'd think, huh?" Raito grinned, coming out of his teary-eyed gaze, knowing that was L's way of saying 'yes.' "I guess I'm just that cute."

"Or just that manipulative." L dryly commented as they walked inside their apartment, both teenager and man exhausted from another long day of 'work' and 'school.' "Why does Raito-kun wish to stay here so badly?"

It was just another day in their absolutely fake lives, knowing that at any moment they could be caught and sent back to the beginning; the place both still continued to run from. L and Raito could cover up their tracks all they wanted to, but the fact of the matter was, in the end…

It was all about choices.

"I like this place, Ryuu-za-ki." Raito sung as he continued to walk forward, not noticing L's rather commendable trudge against the sidewalk at the sound of his supposed alias. "It feels like…"

"Home?" The former greatest detective turned run of the mill computer technician finished for the supposed high school student, Raito's youthful seventeen years showing against his crimson stained cheeks.

L knew the young boy wanted nothing more but stability; a place they could sit down those heavy burdens both of them continued to hold onto and simply be themselves, but as long as the 'organization' continued to chase after them, they had no place to call home.

Nothing except the quiet solitude within each other's arms.

"Yeah, if that's what you want to call it." Narrow cinnamon colored eyes closed as Raito tilted his head back and brought his arms up, cradling the back of his head it against them. "I guess it's 'cause we've been here for awhile, is all."

Two years to be exact.

For all the bad memories Japan seemed to inspire in the young boy, it certainly seemed to cultivate more feelings of warmth as the years continued to pass. The two men, one just coming out of his teens and the other still as immature as a teen, had only grown closer as the years began to blur together, but with such an impenetrable came a price…

Freedom.

No other words were spoken as both man and boy continued to walk in silence, both contemplating the true meaning of freedom, and what they would have to give up to actually experience such a word.

Something neither man was prepared to give up while they still could.

* * *

"Rai-chan, what are you doing?"

"Looking for the meaning of life, of course."

Raito smirked as L rolled his eyes, not sure why he expected an actual response from the moody 17-year-old.

"I'm being serious, Raito." L closed their apartment door and leaned against the wooden entrance, his hunched back straightening in an attempt to get a better position against the door. "What are you scheming over there?"

Raito rolled his eyes as he clicked away at his laptop, attempting to once again ignore the nuisance that was his lover. "Why is it when I'm on the computer, I'm scheming, but when you're on the computer, you're just devising?"

"They're both the same thing, aren't they?" The older man smirked, getting off the door and walking towards his annoyed boyfriend.

"Yet I always seem more sinister about it, though." Raito gave the former detective another smirk before leaning back on the computer chair he was resting upon. "Why is that?"

"I don't know, Rai-chan. Why don't you tell me?" It was L's turn to smirk as he gave the boy a victorious glance and walked towards him, his slight slouch looming over the irritated teen's figure.

"Ass."

"And yet you love me anyway. I must be doing something right."

Raito hid his growing smile and turned back towards the laptop, trying to once again ignore the dark haired nuisance peering over his shoulder.

"What is…?"

The teenager blushed as he looked away from the screen, knowing L was calculating just what to say and how to say it. It was embarrassing enough that he got caught doing such a thing, let alone that L was the one who caught him.

Yet if not him… who?

"Rai-chan should not torture himself like this." L gripped the younger man's shoulders, pale fingers clenching against the clothed skin. "I do not like it when Raito obsesses over such a thing."

"I know." Raito simply stated, the words on the computer screen catching his peripheral vision. "But it happened, didn't it? They…"

Raito stood up from the chair and walked away from the grip that held him down, a shaky breath trembling him in his core.

"They died, didn't they? It seems I'm always destined to be alone…"

"Raito, what do you-"

"Why didn't you tell me that they contacted you, L?" Raito crossed his arms across his chest and continued to stare at the wall in front of him. "Why did you hide it from me?"

"Is that what this is about?" The former detective brushed off the inquiry, determined not to say a word. "Rai-chan is being delu-"

"Stop lying to me, Lawliet!" The 17-year-old spun around, his eyes ablaze as the stoic man didn't even blink. There was a hidden treachery within his gaze; one Raito knew all too well. "Tell me you love me, L."

"Raito knows how I feel about him." L persevered, noting the hysterical edge in the younger man's voice.

"Really? You think so?" Raito stepped forward, his eyes glistening in the artificial light. "Not once have you ever actually said those three words to me."

"I care very deeply about Rai-chan." The older man stated, his fists clenching in wayward anger.

The younger genius gave the former detective the most heart-wrenching stare he had ever seen come from the orphan, a deep-cutting melancholy ripping itself from Raito's depths as he shook his head in some sort of denial.

"Why can't I believe you?"

L became paralyzed with shock and anger at the sound of the words escaping his lover's lips. So much time given to this one person he treasured above all else and still…

"I've ran with you all this way for all this time, Raito. I even gave up my life to be with you…I don't know how much more you expect me to give." The calm reply trembled with unspoken complexity, a deep mixture of rage twining itself with disbelief echoed in L's voice as he attempted to anchor himself back into the present.

"You didn't give anything up for me, L." With those final words, Raito walked out of the living room and into their room, locking himself inside.

L could only wonder just what happened in those few precious moments before stumbling onto the floor, not knowing just how to fix something he had no idea was broken to begin with.

* * *

Continued in Next Installment…

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyways):

Certain: Inevitable.

* * *

As always, I leave everything so very vague. Lol! Poor L and Light, I never make things easy for them. Or myself for that matter. What AM I doing with this universe, anyway? Lol! Guess you'll have to read and find out!

Many thanks to my beta, Kitsune55, who is incredibly awesome in her own right. Beware of the next couple of chapters, you guys. Things are about to get kind of confusing...


	47. Virtuosity

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

47. _Virtuosity: Great technical skill in the practice of fine art._

* * *

"You are doing it incorrectly."

"No I'm not! And how would you know anyway?! You're barely four-years-old, for fuck's sake!"

"Because I am not a fool, unlike some others in this room."

"You freaky albino brat! That's why your toys ended up in the garbage disposal last week!"

Eye twitch.

"And why is that, exactly?"

"Because you just can't seem to keep your big mouth shut!"

"That may be so, but you are still doing that mathematical equation incorrectly, Mihael."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"I said 'am not,' damn it!"

"And I will reiterate the same response as the last; are too."

"You little-"

"Will you two shut the hell up?! I'm trying to level up here, and listening to you two argue like two schoolgirls fighting about who's a bigger yaoi fan is getting me pissed the hell off!"

L sighed as he watched the three boys squabble, his paint brush and canvas long since ignored in favor of watching the (amicably named, of course) three stooges fight it out to the death.

The arguments tended to blur over, Mihael always causing a spectacular scene as Nate passively made inappropriate comments to intentionally spite the blonde's over-the-top antics. Finally, when the red-head had had enough, Mail would come in between the two and provoke them both, though only really inciting Mihael's wrath.

A tapping brush rapping against the wooden table just behind the shaggy-haired insomniac-ridden artist broke the discussion as L looked over his shoulder, his weary lover eyeing the scene with tired mahogany eyes.

Well… this was a first.

"Otou-san…" Nate whispered, his silvery white curls obscuring his dark gaze as said parent's eye twitched in agitation. "Are you alright?"

Mihael shut his still-open mouth as he plopped down back onto the floor where his homework innocently laid, Nate sitting not too far from where he was, his army of toys creating a barricade of amusement for the smallest boy in the house. Mail blinked behind his tangerine-colored goggles, quickly pausing the game he was playing as he stared back at his father, all three boys looking quite guilty in various degrees.

Raito did not look pleased.

"Enough with the fighting, you three." Raito's voice softly echoed throughout the large living room as the three boys and man blinked in wonderment, carefully watching the 25-year-old as he turned around and walked back up the flight of stairs rather tiredly. "I'm trying to get some work done, if you don't mind?"

Nate's droopy-eyed midnight stare traced after his father, quickly looking down at his toys to only turn and set his sights back to his younger parent's slowly disappearing back. Without another thought, the tiny child picked up his Optimus Prime toy and smashed it against his toy tank, idly shifting his attention between his toys and the now empty stairwell.

Mihael uncomfortably fidgeted against his spot on the ground, grabbing his pencil in a fit of anxiousness as he set to work on the problems still left on the sheet, glad at least that his youngest brother was no longer making exceptionally dumb comments about how his math problem was apparently supposed to be solved.

Mail opted to simply go back to his game, glancing back every once in awhile to make sure his father was still upstairs, rather scared to have another run in with an enraged-Raito and his game-taking-away-skills. Their younger father was a cruel man when he set his mind to it.

L put his brush down altogether, carefully slumping up the stairs to trail after his wayward lover.

The three children kept quiet for once, sure that if anyone could figure out what was wrong with their beloved dad, it would be L.

* * *

"Raito-kun does not look well." The older man stated as he shuffled into their room, his lover wearily casting strokes against the fragile canvas in front of him, hands shaking in exhaustion.

"I'm fine, L…" The weak voice caused a flinch in his lover, wide eyes narrowing in suspicion as Raito continued to work on his latest of paintings, eyes strainging in heavy exhaustion. "I have at least three more paintings after this one to get down by my deadline next week, and I don't really have a lot of time to spare."

"I understand this, Raito-kun, however…" L began to nibble on his thumb as his boyfriend continued to paint without even turning his head, mocha colored eyes concentrating solely on the picture forming in front of his waiting gaze. "If it means that Raito-kun shall have to inflict illness on himself to reach such a deadline, I would rather he forgo his former obligations and rest his eyes just for a bit."

"Then it's a good thing this isn't your decision, isn't it?"

Raito continued to concentrate on the canvas in front of him, for once ignoring his lover in favor of work.

Now that was new as well.

L nodded, accepting his defeat in the best way he knew how and turning back to go downstairs and regroup with the children waiting anxiously in the living room.

* * *

"I knew it! That manager of his did something stupid again, didn't he?!" Mihael cried out as he took a bit out of his chocolate bar, bits of candy flying over Mail's goggles as he blinked stupidly.

Needless to say, Mail was going to have to get his goggles sterilized again.

"He always does something idiotic, so that is beside the point." L crouched down in front of the canvas he had been working on earlier, this time concentrating on the man he called his lover. "Your father is depressed about something other than work."

"How can you tell?" Mail countered, taking off his goggles and staring down at them in distaste. Mihael glared at the boy as the redhead pushed the goggles away from his person, not wanting to touch the chocolate spittle contaminating his precious eyewear.

"I believe I would know your father better than most of you at this point." The oldest (and most immature) person in the room nodded as he began to nibble on his thumb, honestly perplexed at what could have been the matter with the 25-year-old brooding in their room.

"_Yeah, mostly in bed…" _

"Mail, I heard that."

Mail grinned mischievously as the perverted artist rolled his eyes, Mihael chuckling in between bites of the sweet candy sliding down his throat.

"I know." The gamer replied, leaving it at that.

Sometimes, L wondered if these kids were more trouble than what they were really worth.

Nate finally had had enough, feeling quite cranky from both lack of attention from his father and the rising annoyance accumulated from both Mihael and Mail. Tossing his G.I. Joe onto the floor, the boy stood up, dark eyes blazing with unusual resilience.

"We must utilize our insights and figure out just what is the matter with otou-san. Did any of us do anything to ignite our father's temper?"

For a moment, the three older individuals could only stare at the four-year-old droopily gazing at them with fiery eyes.

"Dude, you're four." Mihael cried out, arms flailing crazily. "Who the hell talks like that when they're four?"

"Someone who isn't you." Nate snapped back, his patience finally shot. "I'm guessing none of us has done anything to make our father distressed then?"

Everyone in the room stayed silent.

"Then I shall go upstairs, and attempt to coax the answer out of our father myself." Silvery-white hair daintily lay curled around a small index finger as Nate made his way up the stairs, ignoring the three shocked stares following the tiny boy's ascent up the stairwell.

"If L couldn't do it, then what makes you think you could?!" Mihael cried out, once again causing bits of chocolate to rain over Mail's head.

The boy's eye twitched in agitation, knowing he was going to have to sanitize his head along with his goggles.

"I have something that L does not." The pajama-clad four-year-old stated as he slumped up the steps, making his way to his father's room.

"And what's that?" Mail asked, actually curious.

"Cuteness."

Three sweat drops and a face-fault later, Nate entered his father's domain, quite sure that if anyone had a chance of making his otou-san happy again, it would be him this time, not L.

And if not, he'd just have to cry his way out of this one.

Unlike L, he didn't have any pride to worry about whatsoever…

* * *

Continued in Next Installment…

Sneak peak (at the word, anyways):

Predestined: Inevitable

* * *

Lol! This is coming together quite nicely... Sorry about the length of time it took to get this out, but working on four (though if you count all the stories within this story, it's a helluva lot more than just four...) stories at once is not cognitive for your brain. Ask Kit-chan, she's the one that has to sift through my stupid mistakes. Lol! Many thanks to the wonderful Kitsune55 for beta-ing this chapter (Yay!) and thanks to you guys for reading! Confused by the sudden turn of events? Good. You're supposed to be. Lol!


	48. Archaic

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

48. _Archaic: Belonging to an earlier time: Antiquated._

* * *

"Daddy's home, daddy's home, daddy's home, daddy's home, daddy's home, daddy's home daddy's home-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"OI! WHO ARE YOU TELLING TO SHUT UP?!"

"I believe he was speaking to you, Mihael."

"SHUT UP, NATE!"

"Maybe he'd shut up if YOU'D shut up, you fruitcake!"

"Why I ought to-"

"BOYS!"

Three sets of eyes flinched as the gaggle of children spun around to meet their younger father's hardened gaze, exhausted from having to walk up the pave way and into the house. L said nothing as he grasped his tired lover's shoulders, ignoring the burning blush crawling up said boyfriend's cheeks at the show of caring on his own part.

"How many times do I have to ask you three not to fight?" The suddenly weary voice called out, the lack of authority haunting the three boys as they watched their father carefully step into their home, the tension between their parent's threatening to bubble over once again.

"We apologize, father." Nate curled a lock of hair with his forefinger, staring at both of his parents with the same vacant droopy-eyed stare as always. Raito rolled his eyes, walking out of L's semi-clenched grasp and toed off his shoes.

Both Mihael and Mail stayed completely quiet as they continued to watch Raito wince in pain; the achiness of his limbs from lack of walking evident in the way he stood. Even after a month of physical therapy, the lethargy still poured off the man's aura in waves.

"Is Raito-kun alright?" L's hands twitched as the tired brunette wearily nodded, already making his way to the much larger staircase leading up to their room.

After almost a year of not being within his own home, half of which he could not remember, a since of nostalgia crept up the young father's consciousness. Raito did not know whether he should have felt relieved to be home, or constantly wary of his surroundings. The constant paranoia of eyes following him that weren't of his family seeped into his skin, foreboding coming in a close second as the man's weak hand grasped the staircase railing.

"I'm fine." Raito finally replied, wanting nothing more than to finally make it up to his (_their_) room and sleep in peace. "I'm just tired, is all."

L nodded, knowing the younger man couldn't see him with his back turned, but not able to conjure up enough will to actually speak. Obsidian eyes trailed after the nearly broken lover the architect had inadvertently hurt, not noticing the disappointed gazes of their children.

Silence reigned over the strain-filled home as a door quietly slid shut, leaving three boys and a lover filled with nothing but empty doubt.

* * *

"Raito."

The brunette stayed completely quiet, keeping his eyes closed for residual effect.

"Raito."

Still no response as the younger man barely shifted on top of the perfectly laid out bed, eyes twitching with curiosity underneath closed lids as the voice came closer.

"… I do not know what you wish for me to say, Raito."

Finger tips lightly traced the covers as a small grimace settled over the cinnamon-eyed lawyer lips, wanting nothing more than curl up into a little ball and just sleep…

"Raito, open your eyes."

Teeth clenched as the older man's voice vibrated off the faux-sleeping man, stubbornness anchoring him onto the bed and into a state of fake unconsciousness.

"Raito, open your eyes right now. I am not in the right mood to toy with."

Still, no response from the younger of the two lovers as he felt someone loom over his sprawled figure, a nervousness infiltrating his concentration as a treble of something indescribable reverberated off his partner's vocal pleads.

"Raito…"

Raito kept quiet, not wanting to see the blank expression that would slowly morph into something less conducive as the night wore on.

"Raito, I cannot do this again…"

Tears seemed the burn the back of the boy's closed eyelids, dimming whatever resolution the boy had to remain out of touch with the man sounding so lost and alone right next to him. Was this what he was really reducing his lover to?

"… … I will do what it takes to make Raito-kun see reason."

Without another word, freezing cold hands pushed the hapless russet-haired lawyer off of the bed, Raito's tanned arms flying out in an attempt to catch his balance as he pulled down the hunched over architect down with him. Cries echoed within the room as the still-lethargic brunette hit the ground with a sickening crack, head bouncing off the ground with enough force to cause the poor man to see stars behind his eyes.

Eyes shot open in pain as a pair of charcoal black eyes encircled with dark rings from lack of sleep stared down at the angelic face below them now covered in pain, relief etched into them as expression entered his conscious lover's face. L did not realize just how traumatized the six months of his lover in a comatose state had left him, where even under the pretense of sleep did he panic.

L didn't think he'd be able to watch Raito sleep without having a panic attack at this point.

"What the hell, L?!" The now pain-ridden father glared up at his wayward boyfriend, the pounding within the back of his head overriding all other sense of accomplishment and filling Raito with a temporary sense of vertigo.

"Raito-kun did not answer my calls." L easily replied in answer to the unspoken question, easily rocking back onto his awkward sitting position as he sat on top of the disoriented lawyer.

"So you decide to push me off the bed and let me almost bash my head in?!" Raito almost hit the man beginning to nibble on his thumb, gently rocking back on his heels as the dark-haired man tilted his head to the side in a show of faux-innocence. "Only you would have that kind of fucked up reasoning."

"I do not think Raito-kun understand the effect of watching him with his eyes closed have on me." L stated dryly, watching the comprehension slowly leak into the other's gaze.

"I…"

"I cannot undo what I have done, Raito-kun." The ebony-eyed man kept his stare directly on the uneasy man below him, his frustration rolling off in waves as Raito ceased all movement and simply stared up at the man above him. "What I can do is attempt to give him what I should have from the beginning."

"And what's that?" Raito whispered softly, overwhelmed by the amount of emotion flowing forth from the older man's gaze.

"The truth, Raito-kun."

Dark eyes gleamed with an unknown sheen as the tired brunette turned his head, facing the stretch of wall greeting his vision. A weariness others could not understand permeated his bones as Raito attempted to stay awake, the sudden strength within his lover's voice grounding his stubbornness in a fit of emotional impact.

"I want… more than just the truth." Raito's eyes fluttered as a tanned hand slowly lifted itself up and gently traced the older man's cool cheek. "I want anything and everything you're willing to give me. Haven't you realized that by now?"

L smiled as a genuine sincerity bled through the lawyer's worn out voice. A pale grasp caught the younger man's hand before it fell back upon the bed, gentle touch encircling the caramel-eyed man's skin as L continued to stare down at his supposedly-brittle lover.

"I love you, Raito-kun. And that is more than I ever expected to feel that day I nearly ran you over in your college setting." Raito smirked at the remembrance of the memory that tickled the back of his mind.

The nostalgia combined with the recollection of the intrigue he had felt at meeting L for the first time nearly overcame the man as his eyes finally closed, a small smile placed over his lips as they did so.

For the first time in over eleven months, L did not feel the overwhelming urge to throw up at the sight of his lover sleeping peacefully. The architect leaned his slim body over his lover's own figure and buried his nose within the crook of Raito's neck as he closed his own eyes, knowing when he awoke, his life-mate would be nestled next to him and conscious.

'I'll give you whatever you need, Raito… even if it kills me in the process.'

* * *

Twiddling his thumbs, B swerved his gaze from the picture within his hands, crumpling it up without a second glance. As small smirk bloomed over the man's lips as thoughts of what was to come tickled his fancy, laughter bubbling up within his throat as a snort of amusement escaped him.

Tomorrow…

The grin returned with a vengeance, toothy and predatory as the dark-haired man's eyes smoldered with conviction.

Oh, tomorrow, the fun truly began.

* * *

Continued in Next Installment…

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyways):

Inescapable: Inevitable

* * *

Oh, I love the smell of dramatic suspense in the morning. Building... building... Sorry. I'm listening to techno music right now, so don't mind my rambling. Lol! I'm so multi-faceted. Many thank you's thrown Kitsune55's way for beta-ing this chapter. Hmm... I think I'm gonna go break dance now... Oh! I wonder where I left my glow sticks? I'll just pop-lock instead. XD


	49. Barrier

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

49. _Barrier: Something immaterial that impedes or separates._

* * *

"L…"

"Yes, Raito-kun?"

"… … My legs are starting to get numb."

"Are they now?"

"I'm sorry, I guess I was being too subtle for you. L, get the hell off."

The dark-haired professor simply stared at the 21-year-old with wide ebony colored eyes as he nibbled on his thumb, radiating with a glow of faux-innocence.

Raito felt his eye twitch unconsciously.

"See, now you're just being an ass." The attractive student muttered as he practically _felt _the malicious grin sent his way via his lover.

L said nothing as he faintly smirked, finally picking himself up from Raito's lap and sitting down next to the younger man. Inwardly laughing at the look on the brunette's face as he painfully stretched out his sore ligaments and muscles, L congratulated himself on a job well done.

"Raito-kun looks good sitting next to me." The older man concluded as Raito finally relaxed his legs and slumped (though Raito himself would never call it as such) against the comfortable cushions L's couch had to offer.

"Don't I always look good?" The honor student placed his head against L's shoulder, eyes closing in exhaustion.

"Raito-kun would look infinitely better if he simply packed all of his things and finally moved in with me." L pouted as his lover stiffened against his shoulder.

"Are we going to start up **that** conversation already?" Raito bristled, wanting to peel himself away from his boyfriend's person, but too tired to even move. "I don't understand you whatsoever…"

"I have courted Raito-kun long enough." L attempted to argue, even though Raito's dubious glance said otherwise.

"L, we've only just started an actual relationship tonight."

"What about all of those months before last night's time? Does Raito-kun not count those?" L pouted once again, actually glaring at his lover as he did so.

"You mean the months when I was ignoring your complete existence outside of class, or the months when you spent your free time practically stalking me and trying to manipulate me into going on dates with you?" Raito dryly questioned.

L blinked.

"I did not _**stalk**_Raito-kun…" Another skeptical glance was sent L's way. "_Per se_."

"Whatever…" Raito sighed as he fully reclined on his side of the couch, curling up his legs as he did so. "The point is those months don't count."

"Not even a little?"

Raito rolled his eyes at the pitiful whine expertly interjected within the usual monotone voice.

"Not even a little." The boy repeated, just in case L didn't catch it the first time around.

"Then I suppose that I shall have to continue to wait for Raito-kun's prissiness to pass before we will be able to, 'take the next step,' as they say." L smirked once more at the sudden glare sent his way and reached an arm around the younger man practically lying on top of him. "Tomorrow is always another day."

L ignored the 'I wouldn't count on it…' Raito muttered as he turned off the TV and closed his eyes, prepared to get a few hours of sleep before having to throw Raito off the couch and get ready to start a new day.

'This must be the good life…' The older man thought to himself as he lay back against his boyfriend's slouched form, putting all of the misery behind him and finally falling into the black oblivion of his dreams.

* * *

Students quirked up their eyebrows as they passed the normally stoic professor slumping down the hallways, face brightened by the small smile tickling the edges of the man's pale lips. L ignored the college students in favor of the small scene playing in his head involving none other than himself and a beautiful brunette boy who was just so much fun to irritate…

Days had turned to weeks, and weeks into months, and still, both men had held on strong. Even after Raito having explained it to his family (and sweat dropping when his family had actually not been surprised), both professor and college student had held steadfast in their commitment to each other. It was strange to think that barely a year and a half ago, L had been simply enchanted by the boy. Now, he actually had him in his grasp, and it was made all the more surreal by the lack of changes in all other aspects in the older man's life.

"Professor!"

A random student with short black hair and striking blue eyes stopped the older man dead in his tracks as an envelope lay waving in the young kid's left hand, streaming about like a small plain flag.

"Yes?" L really couldn't remember the kid's name, but he knew he was usually pinned as the main office's delivery boy. The kid had 'lackey' practically imprinted on his forehead at this point…

"This just arrived for you at the office! The person that delivered it said it was of the utmost importance!" The boy huffed out before practically collapsing on the dirt speckled floor, completely out of breath as he continued to speak. "So then I ran all the way from the office to your office… and you weren't there… so then I ran to your classroom… and you weren't there… and then I just ran down the hallways to see where you could be… and then I found you… and well, now I'm tired… and here. Just take it."

L grabbed the envelope and walked past the boy unfazed, not noticing him as he face-faulted onto the ground, sweat dropping in exasperation.

Before the older man could open the envelope, a small vibration accompanied by a swift sound of tinkling bells reverberated within his pocket, taking his mind off the piece of paper within his hands and onto the small cell phone which no doubt held a message from his new-found beloved.

Placing the small envelope within his back pocket, L plucked the phone out from his front pocket and snapped it open with his thumb. Blinking, L pushed a button before staring at the small message inscribed on the screen.

_**You're late.**_

L smirked before closing the phone nonchalantly, the bounce in his step even more vibrant than before.

Raito was just so much fun to bother sometimes.

Forgetting about the envelope barely sticking out of his back pocket, L shifted his bag against his shoulder and continued his way towards the front of his classroom (where he was supposed to have been ten minutes ago, mind you) where his explosive boyfriend was no doubt ready to both decapitate and castrate him all at once.

Students gave the man strange glances as he began to hum under his breath.

Definitely good times.

* * *

"You absolutely _**love**_ to piss me off, don't you?" Raito spat out as the man concealed his smirk behind his normally impassive face and tilted his head to the side in a look that seemed to ooze innocence.

To anyone else, anyway.

Raito only saw a tricky bastard satisfied in all his mislead glory.

"Asshole."

Which is why Raito's resolve refused to sway even the smallest of bits as L's eyes became all the more wide, smooth ebony gems gleaming against the fading afternoon light pouring through the hallway's windows.

"Raito-kun holds no trust for me." L pouted. "I did not keep him waiting on purpose…"

'_This time.' _L added in silently within his head as the glare on Raito's face softened just a tad at the hint of sincerity touching the older man's tone.

"So what happened?" Raito finally asked as he played with the strap of his knapsack, determinedly staring out in front of him as the unusually perky professor opened the door for the both of them, leaving the brunette with a stunning outside view of their campus grounds. "Did some kid try to actually _ask you questions_ about today's assignments? God forbid if that should ever happen. It's not like you're supposed to _teach_ these kids or something…"

The dark-haired college teacher rolled his eyes as he let go of the door, letting it slam unceremoniously in front of a random student's face. "Is Raito-kun attempting to say something about my people skills?"

Raito glanced back at the student ranting and raving through one of the open windows, holding onto their now bleeding nose as they gave L the finger.

"Now why on Earth would I ever do that?" Raito wryly stated as he shook his head, chuckling against his better judgment. "So, no student then, I presume?"

"Well…" L patted his pockets before reaching back, feeling the crisp finger curl under his perusing fingers. "Is Raito-kun acquainted with that strange boy that always hangs around the main registrar's office…"

"Yoshiko-kun?" Raito asked, knowing how annoying the boy could be once he thought he had a "mission" he had to carry out for the secretaries and guidance counselors. "What about him?"

"I suppose Raito-kun shall have to blame him for my extended lateness. After nearly bombarding me in the hallway and nearly raping my brain with things I care absolutely nothing about, my poor psyche suffered from idiot syndrome." L produced the small white envelope, carefully examining it as he held it between his thumb and forefinger. "After he was done speaking about whatever it was he was talking about, he then gave me this."

"Are you going to open it, or just stare at the envelope all day?" Raito snapped as the thinner man continued to keep his eyes glued to the paper. "What if it's something important?"

"Hmm… It's possible, but doubtable, Raito-kun. I am not _close_ to a grand number of people, so it is a bit strange that someone should send something that could be considered important to my working environment of all places, would you not agree? It does not even hold a mailing address, though there seems to be an item inside…" L rolled the idea around his head before handing the envelope to Raito, who quirked up an eyebrow in astonishment. "Would Raito-kun like to do the honors?"

Without questioning his boyfriend's sudden lack of ambiguity (which the 21-year-old was pretty sure would _always_ remain a constant within L's personality, whether Raito liked it or not) on L's part, Raito snatched the plain white envelope out of the older man's grip and carefully pried it open, taking a peek to see what was inside.

"Hey, Ryuuzaki…" Raito whispered, eyes widening in surprise as his steps halted.

"Yes Raito-kun?" L gave the boy a cursory glance as he stepped closer, making sure to keep enough space between them as to not have anyone say anything unsavory about them. Not that L particularly cared about what others had to say, but Raito was still very tentative about the new aspects of their relationship and how it would affect how people would then look at the both of them if they announced they were suddenly dating. Raito was no longer his student, but that didn't mean problems wouldn't arise if word got out _just_ how close he and his former favorite were.

"Uh… maybe we should bring this discussion _elsewhere_…"

At the hushed whisper leaving his lover's mouth, L immediately grabbed hold of his arm (ignoring the face Raito made as he did so) and dragged him towards his car, having finished all of his classes for the day and knowing Raito having done the same.

From the way his boyfriend grimaced as he tightly held onto the envelope and whatever else was inside, L knew he would most likely **not** be pleased.

* * *

Raito stared at his lover as L himself blankly gazed down at the table, two objects now visible in front of him.

The first was a two page letter, hand written neatly in English writing. The other was a simple silver ring, a gleaming milky white gem vibrantly shimmering with an explosion of radiant colors bouncing off of the light gently hitting its surface.

The matching pendant hanging off a pure metallic string of silver lay within L's hands as he cradled the piece of jewelry close to his chest, still not saying a word.

"Aren't you going to read it?" Raito whispered as he shifted a bit closer to his boyfriend, still not totally sure if L was in his right mind or not. As soon as the older man had settled both himself and Raito into his home, he had immediately ripped the small envelope from out of Raito's hands and dumped it onto the table.

Raito could not have predicted the heart-wrenching look that had overcame his lover's face once he finally took a glance at the items sent to him even if he had tried.

"I do not think I want to, Raito-kun." L haltingly whispered as he sat near the edge of the couch, knees bunched up to his chest as L's fists, still holding the precious necklace between them, clenched against his legs. "I fear I shall only be all the more depressed if I do."

Raito shifted within his seat as L then took a quick glimpse in his direction, eyes gleaming with a strange emotion that the 21-year-old could not name.

"Would… would Raito-kun like to read it?" The shaggy-haired man whispered as he laid his head down on his knees, fingers toying with the silvery thread of chain looping through his hands. "Would Raito-kun do this for me and decide whether or not it is worth me reading? I could not bear to…"

A hand came up and rested itself on L's shoulder, silencing him completely.

"If that's what you want, why not?" Raito easily replied, a small smile perched on his lips. He was usually not delegated with much when it came to L's personal trivialities (except for the first night their relationship truly began, when L had opened up to him for the first, and what Raito had feared, last time), so the younger of the two was inwardly pleased at the show of trust.

"Yes…" L muttered as he closed his eyes, the stinging cold of the chain held within his hands fading against the warmth of his palms. "If Raito-kun would…"

The normally high-strung college student said nothing more as he grabbed the pieces of paper idly sitting on the table and eyed the small words, begging to be read. The gaunt insomniac might have played otherwise, but Raito knew L more than anyone else wanted to know just who would send him such items, though from the look on the teacher's face, he was already familiar with the small ring still perched on the table.

In fact, he seemed especially eager to not even _look_ at the small piece of jewelry that so closely resembled the gem hanging off the necklace within his hands.

Yet Raito pushed all of these thoughts aside, quite sure that whatever answers he were looking for were held within these thin pages, just waiting to be told.

They both knew L could not hide from whatever this was forever…

And he wanted Raito to be the one to find him and guide him through it.

Throughout both the good…

And most especially the bad.

* * *

Continued in Next Installment…

Sneak Peak (at the word, anyways):

Unavoidable: Inevitable

* * *

I know what most of you are thinking; how are you going to end all of these installments with just one chapter, Hari-chan?! I'm pretty sure most of you have an idea of what I'm going to do (hopefully), and if not, entirely all the better to surprise you with my dears. Next chapter shall be awhile in making, as it is massive (and I mean that in both literal and figurative terms), but I have begun writing it already, so it shouldn't take me too long. I won't make any promises though. o.o;;; Many thanks to my awesome beta Kitsune55 who is just too awesome. Wait… you know what I mean. Lol! Thanks for reading everybody and see you guys later!


	50. Inevitable

* * *

**_Warning: This chapter is incredibly bipolar. Suggestion: for every new word in italics, I think a breather should be allowed, just for the craziness to really soak in. Lol! Oh... and warnings for violence, blood, cussing, very mild hints of shota-con, err... I think that's it. Enjoy._**

* * *

Title: _**Che Sarà, Sarà**_

_Certain: Inevitable _

* * *

Raito looked down at his packed bags in trepidation, feeling the beginnings of anxiety curl in the pit of his stomach.

What the hell was he doing?

Shaking his head forlornly, the boy kicked his suitcase in a fit of silent anger. Everything seemed to be going wrong somehow or another.

A knock on his door proved this thought process to be true.

"What is Raito-kun doing in our bedroom?"

'_Our_ bedroom…' Raito repeated to himself as he looked around their room, half of it organized to perfect, practically sparkling in pristine, cleanliness. The other half lay in a jumbled mess; or what L liked to call his 'organized chaos'. The dark-haired man refused to even let Raito try to clean up his scattered clothes, claiming that if they needed to be washed, they would eventually make it to the hamper in due time.

It was then that Raito would proceed to kick his lover's ass and proclaim that unless he wanted to live on the street, he better get his crap out of their room and pronto.

But that wasn't going to be anymore.

"Raito?"

'All this time, I thought we were above all this.' The 17-year-old brunette thought to himself as he wrapped his arms around his torso, eyes glistening with unshed tears. 'Was it really so selfish of me to want him by my side?'

Pushing all sentiments aside, the teenage prodigy grabbed his bags and finally opened the door, ready to face his future in all its sordid glory.

He refused to be tied down by these stupid emotions anymore.

* * *

L stared at the boy standing in front of him, bags in both hands as his eyes became virtually blank. The door creaked slightly at the force Raito had pulled it open, the only sound within the oppressing silence blanketing their thoughts.

Tilting his head to the side, L placed his thumb within his lips as he absently chewed on the appendage offered. Raito continued to say nothing as both men practically stood paralyzed in their positions by the door.

One was ready to say goodbye.

The other refused to even hear the word.

"Get out of my way, L." Raito sneered as his hands tightened their hold over the three bags within his grip.

"I cannot do that, Raito-kun." L stated as blandly as possible, his eyes growing impossibly wide as he did not even budge from his position in front of the agitated adolescent. "Raito-kun is obviously suffering a nervous-breakdown if he truly believes for one moment that I will allow him to leave me to my own devices."

"It's not your decision to make." The orphaned 17-year-old muttered as he glared intensely at the man still slouching in front of him. "Now get yourself out of my way before I have to do so for you."

"Is that a threat, Raito?" The deadly calm within the older man's tone of voice actually managed to send a sliver of fear down Raito's spine as he felt his eyebrow twitch almost completely unnoticeably.

"What if it is?" Raito replied, his eyes narrowing as his chocolate gaze smoldered, the rich dark-brown lightening to a vibrant caramel with the switch in moods.

"I'm afraid Raito-kun will be most displeased by the change of events within his plans." The former detective calmly pulled the digit out of his mouth as his lips set themselves into a straight line; tightly pursed together as obsidian eyes narrowed the tiniest of bits. "I shall not allow him to leave this apartment without some sort of altercation. And even then, Raito-kun will have to subdue me most painfully to allow himself passage through the front door."

Both men stared at each other once more, neither moving a muscle as the tense atmosphere clouding their judgments.

Raito would never know why exactly he threw the first punch.

Yes, L had stated that a fight would have to take place in order for him to leave, but there were other strategies he could have implemented in his plan to 'escape.'

Either way, the 17-year-old teen would never forget the feel of skin-on-skin contact, hand and face harshly pounding together as his fist throbbed angrily against the pain of being thrown at someone's head.

It was a most glorious feeling for a moment.

And then L hit back.

Raito staggered as he fell over backwards, grunting as L's foot connected with his chest. The bags within the boy's hands clattered onto the ground as Raito felt his body collide with the floor. Palms slid against the wood flooring as a pounding ache resonated in the back of the auburn-haired teen's head, his headache from before multiplying in pressure from the incredibly loud smack.

"Is Raito-kun alright?" L carefully kept a bit of distance, knowing how volatile Raito could get when he was angry. Yet all he could see within the brunette's eyes was disorientation and pain, mixed in too perfectly to be faked. Raito attempted to pull himself up, but only managed to trip over his own two feet and land right back on the hard floor, his bottom now aching along with his head.

"Do I look alright?" Raito finally snapped back once he had righted himself enough to be able to speak. Bringing a hand up to feel the back of his head, the teenage orphan winced at the sizeable lump now protruding against his silky chestnut locks. "Did you have to kick so hard?"

"Raito-kun was the one who started it-"

"I know, damn it!" The glowering brunette scowled as the snarl went past over L's head, the now blasé expression completely enveloping the older man's features. A hand was held out towards the painfully weary 17-year-old as L inched his way closer to the infinitely calmer-looking Raito.

Grabbing the man's spindly hand, Raito was yet again taken off-guard as he was then pushed backwards into the decently sized room, the back of his knees colliding against the mattress behind him as he fell once more.

Finding this fall a bit more comfortable than the last, at least, Raito shook his head as attempted to stave off the vertigo. A warm weight settled itself over his body as the chestnut-eyed boy stiffened in shock, closing his eyes as he refused to look up at the obsidian gaze no doubt staring him down.

Cool fingers traced the underside of Raito's jaw as it clenched, eyelids tightly pressed together as the sensation increased in pressure.

"Raito-kun would deny me this?" The normally bland voice trembled slightly with some sort of unknown emotion Raito could not place. "I have fought so hard to keep Raito-kun by my side and for one e-mail that I had no intention in even answering back, he would discard me as if I meant nothing to him?"

"I…" Raito slowly opened his cinnamon gaze, not wanting to be caught in the other man's stare, but knowing that no matter how much he fought it, those eyes were bound to captivate him, no matter what. "I'm not discarding you, Lawliet. I just don't want to be hurt again… and you seem to be the one person who's always certified to hurt me, no matter the circumstance."

"What does Raito-kun still doubt me, even after all these years of running?" The hand that had been cradling his face slowly lowered itself, stopping just below the chin as the older man tilted his face up just so. "What else must I do to convince you that I…"

Wide brown eyes stared up at the former detective as he lowered his gaze, his throat locking up as the words refused to come out.

"L… How long will it be until you get sick and tired of it all?" Raito whispered as he reached out and threaded his fingers through the older man's hair. "I'm not stupid. I see the look on your face whenever we have to pack up and leave a place or when we have start all over again and create new identities for ourselves in some obscure town that you don't even want to be living in. I've made you a prisoner in some lie that I don't want to let go of, and I don't even know how long I've got until you… until you just decide it's not worth it anymore."

"I don't want to let you go, Raito-kun-"

"Now." Raito interrupted the man before he could go any further. "Our future is as uncertain as the rest of the world's."

"Maybe…" L whispered as he laid his head down against Raito's chest, listening to the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat. "But I like to think that perhaps…"

Raito held in a shuttered breath.

"Perhaps things are more certain than we like to believe."

The boy said nothing more as a tear unnoticeably streaked down his cheek and down onto the mattress below him.

If only things could be this easy…

Then maybe they wouldn't have to keep running anymore.

That was what Raito had once thought before.

Now, all he could do was hold onto this one moment, and cherish the memory it would soon become…

And hope it didn't vanish before his very eyes, much the same way his own parent's and sister had done all those years ago.

* * *

_Predestined: Inevitable_

* * *

"Father?"

Raito looked up from his canvas as the small boy by the door shuffled his feet, hands pulling at each other in uncharacteristic shyness. The older man's eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion as Nate smiled adorably.

Something was most definitely up.

"Yes, Nate?"

"Would father like to come play with me in my room?" A cute blush spread across the silver-haired boy's cheeks, and had Raito had not known any better, he would have melted into a big pile of goo at the absolutely endearing sight.

"I'm sure your brothers and L are sufficient company at the moment, Nate." Raito looked back at his canvas, only to turn his attention on the amount of paint still on his palette.

"But I want to play with daddy…" Nate pouted as he crept closer to his incredibly tense father, eyes widening in faux-innocence. "He has yet to spend any time with me for the past couple of days."

'Gee, I wonder where he get's that from?' Raito asked himself as he peered at the manipulative boy now grinning creepily up at him, slouching slightly as he fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve. 'And L says they're nothing alike…'

Bullshit.

"I have a lot to do and not enough time to do it in, Nate." The irritable 25-year-old mumbled. Picking up his brush, Raito tapped the excess color off the painting utensil and once again began in his languid strokes, no clear objective in mind as he did so. "Why don't you go read a book, or something?"

"Father doesn't want to spend time with me?" Large eyes incredibly reminiscent to his lover's glistened as Raito fought to keep his caramel gaze on the canvas. Raito already knew that once he got a glimpse of those watery orbs and quivering lower lip-

"Daddy…"

He was fucked.

"God damn it…" The 25-year-old artist murmured to himself as he dropped his paint brush, turning to his side to face the inwardly smirking child in all his cute wrath. "Nate, isn't there something else you'd rather be doing than inflicting a guilt-trip on me?!"

"… … Is that a trick question?" The silver-haired four-year-old tilted his head to the side, twirling a piece of silvery-white hair against his forefinger.

Raito sweat dropped.

Sometimes, he actually wondered if both his son and lover were really related in some way…

But then that got creepy to think about.

Raito hummed for a moment.

Then again…

"_Hey Raito, guess what! Your hunch was right! Nate and Ryuuzaki are actually half-brothers from different mothers!" Matsuda bellowed as he barreled within the room, papers clutched within his hand._

_Everyone shifted awkwardly within the room._

"_So does that mean that Ryuuzaki is technically both Nate's brother __**and**__ father?" Mihael whispered as he clutched dearly onto his chocolate for moral support. _

_Mail blinked in astonishment, Gameboy practically falling out of his hand for once._

_THUMP!_

_Raito had a different reaction altogether._

"_Oh my God, Dad, are you ok?!"_

"… … …_I think he's out cold." The blonde stated as he kicked his easily riled father in the stomach, watching in glee as the older man's body simply flopped against the hardwood floor._

_Nate and L glared at each other as they both spoke simultaneously, pointing opposite fingers in blame. _

"_This is all your fault."_

Nope, still creepy to think about.

"To you, I suppose it would be." Raito sighed as he stood up from his stool and placed his hands on his hips. "What do you want to play then, Nate? And remember, I don't have much time to spare, so-"

"Yes, I know," Nate recited as he grabbed one of his father's hands and pulled him out of the room. "You have much to do and no time to do it in. I promise not to keep daddy away from his work for too long."

"You mean like how you promised me the same thing when you had that sudden spontaneous urge for a Lego-marathon?" Raito dryly stated as Nate hid his burning cheeks away from the older man's analytical gaze. "How long did that stint last, by the way?"

"… … … … Three days, five hours, thirty-seven minutes and 14 seconds."

"Yeah. Exactly."

"If it makes daddy feel better, I do not wish to play with any Lego's at this present time." Nate blandly stated as he opened his door, not seeing his father sweat drop behind him. "Hm… I think I would like to play with my cars today."

"Alright…"

"And quite possibly my toy soldiers."

"If you want to, but…"

"And my stuffed bears."

Eye twitch.

"Nate…"

"Do you think we should play with the green building blocks or the blue? Though the red look tempting to play with as well…"

Eye twitch.

"_Nate_…"

"I would like to play dress-up as well. Do you think we will be able to get Mihael to volunteer to shoulder on the pink dress once more?"

"Na-Well… maybe. Do you still have the pictures I gave you?"

"Yes."

"We'll work on that later, then. But first, please, just pick what you want to play with so that I can get back to work." Raito blinked as Nate then plopped himself onto the floor, practically hauling him down with him as he still held his sleeve within his grasp. Picking up the cars scattered in various directions (The boy really needed to learn the art of _**cleaning up after himself**_ much like _someone else_ Raito knew very well…), he began to make 'vroom' noises, apparently going off into his own world once again.

Raito picked up a car and smiled as Nate crashed it against his own, making booming noises as well. Letting his mind drift for the time being, the 25-year-old artist let the boy run the show. Without even noticing, the older man's back began to relax as the comforting sounds of his son's playing overlapped his worrying mind, leaving him in a dazed sort of contentment.

"Daddy?" Nate suddenly spoke up as both hot red and yellow cars smashed against each other, leaving Raito to wonder just why his son was so inwardly violent. "Is something the matter?"

"No." Was the automatic answer out of Raito's mouth as both cars crashed once more, making the older of the two wince at the harsh sound of plastic meeting plastic. "Work just has me stressed out, is all."

"Hm…" The tiny boy glanced up at his father, large onyx orbs widening in response. "Daddy can't tell the people at the gallery that he needs more time?"

"I'm afraid life just doesn't work out that way, son." Raito grinned as Nate then picked up a toy crane and attempted to pick up one of the toy cars with it. "If it did, God knows I would be a lot happier than I am now."

"And we would hear less noises resonating from both yours and L's room at night? At times, it seems as if the both of you are killing each other whilst we're sleeping."

Raito felt his cheeks flush a bright magenta.

"Err… yeah. That's absolutely right. Totally… less… noises…"

'Note to self; get a bigger place with thicker walls…'

"I think daddy is trying to avoid spending time together as a family."

CRASH!

"Damn it!" Raito clutched as his fingers as the toy cars fell out of his hands, landing on the floor with a small 'clack'. "How the hell does this only happen to me?"

Nate blinked as he stared at the bruise now encompassing his father's middle and forefinger. "That is a good question…"

"And I don't know where you're getting all that crap from, Nate." The caramel-eyed artist mumbled as he cradled his hand close to his chest. "I'm always at home with all of you."

"Locked in your room."

"I play with you whenever you want!"

"After being coerced to."

"I don't complain about being here."

"…"

Raito sweat dropped.

"All the time..."

"…"

Ouch.

That one kind of stung.

"Ok, I see your point on the whole avoidance issue…" Raito spoke slowly, carefully bringing down his abused hand as his son crept closer to him. "But I've just been especially busy lately, and-"

"Daddy, I love you." Nate suddenly stated, cutting Raito off before he could finish his sentence.

Raito stared at the boy now hugging his waist.

Nate stared back, cutely smiling up at his father.

Raito could slowly feel his resolve crumble underneath him as the adorableness of it all made him want to grab the small child and cuddle him for what he was worth.

'Double note to self; Nate's cuteness is potentially lethal when taken in large doses…'

"I…"

"Love you so much, daddy…"

If possible, Nate's eyes became impossibly larger as they glistened.

'What the fucking hell…'

"You are absolutely evil, you know that?"

Nate merely grinned in response.

"I love you, daddy."

"Hmph. I'm sure you do _now_…"

* * *

"What do you think they're doing up there?" Mail threw one of L's cupcakes at Mihael whilst the older man wasn't looking, still glancing down at the gaming device within his hands.

"Ow! You fucking bastard! How the hell should I know?!" Mihael glared at the redhead, throwing the cupcake back at him as it harmlessly bounced off the gamer's head and landed onto the ground. "What do you think, L?"

"Hm…" L stared at the canvas in front of him. "Pie?"

"…"

"…"

"What?"

"You are no longer to be included in any of our future discussions, L." Mail declared quite seriously, glancing over his shoulder and staring at the giant pie enveloping the older man's canvas.

"I second that notion." The blonde stated as he got back to his book, pretending he had never even turned his head to begin with before perking up once again. "Unless it's chocolate pie?"

"Strawberry..." The older man felt his mouth water at the thought of the scrumptious treat.

"Yeah, forget it." Mihael rolled his eyes. "You've just been voted off the island, L."

"Let us see if either of you get any of my delicious pie later…" L muttered as he continued to paint, thoughts of delicious pie still dancing in the back of his mind.

Mail rolled his eyes, goggled-covered eyes still on his game.

"Dude, seriously… you need to lay off the pie."

"I didn't think it needed to be said." Mihael retorted as he turned his attention back to the other boy within the room.

"Oh, it needs to be said." The redhead mumbled. "And it needs to be said now.

"Pie's Anonymous?"

"Nah, that's too sexy for somebody L…"

"Too sexy indeed…"

L felt his eye twitch, paint brush ready to break within his hand.

"Don't make me take away your games and chocolate."

"Yes sir." Both boys cried simultaneously before going back to their aforementioned tasks.

L simply smirked in satisfaction.

It was good being in charge.

* * *

"And that's it."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Nate stared up at his father.

Raito stared down at his son.

"Father…"

"Yes son?"

"You have daddy issues."

"I know, Nate. I know."

"Why would father think such a thing about himself anyways? You are the farthest thing from a horrible father that I can think of." The silver-haired child chided as he closed his eyes, head leaning on top of Raito's thigh as he yawned sleepily. "Raito is an absolutely wonderful father…"

Raito gave a cynical smile as he stroked his young son's hair, throwing his own father's words into the back of his mind.

"No reason…" Raito muttered as he heard a crash reverberate from downstairs, and the familiar screeches of Mihael and Mail laughing uncontrollably as Nate twitched within his lap. "No reason at all…"

'With an insane family like this, who needs insecurities?'

Raito knew that he should probably get back to work and put Nate in his bed for a nap, but after so long without really interacting with any of them…

The 25-year-old smiled as he caressed the hair out of the small child's closed eyes.

He supposed work could wait just the once.

* * *

_Inescapable: Inevitable_

* * *

L didn't know what to make of the strange silence emanating within his usually bustling home.

Dropping his bag onto the floor and toeing out of his extremely uncomfortable shoes, L slowly closed the door behind him. He was expecting a barrage of children to come flashing to him in a gaggle of groping hands and wide innocent eyes, all wondering just how his day had been, who he had seen, and if they could see the new design specs he had most probably just created for another building coming to creation.

The panda-eyed insomniac was for once disappointed that this was not the case.

Yet the complete silence permeating throughout their home was what most alarming to the architect in question. Instead of calling out his children's names, L simply grabbed his bag off the floor and placed it on one of the chairs pushed up the dining room table as he bypassed the rather spacious room and silently padded his way towards the stairs.

The stifling quiet surrounding the household began to crawl up his bones as L grasped the railing and looked around. There was nothing that suggested any foul-play whatsoever, but there was a feeling stirring deep within the man's gut that refused to calm itself as the pale architect took his first step up the whirling staircase within his home.

"Raito…" The 31-year-old whispered to himself as he slowly walked up the stairs, the feeling of anxiety steadily growing within the back of his mind, accompanying the distress rather winningly.

L's soft voice seemed to echo off the walls of the hallway as he reached the top step, eyeing the children's rooms one by one.

Yet all the doors were closed.

That was not right.

Raito _hated_ it when he wasn't able to immediately see what their kids were doing. Though they were hellions walking, so he really couldn't blame his lover's anxiousness when it came to their activities…

Carefully opening the first door on his right side, L peered inside the deathly white room, which belonged solely to the smallest of the three; Nate. His eyes widened at the nearly pristine sight, as neither child nor his ever present toys were stacked in the middle of the room. The brightly-lit room was completely vacant, leaving no sign of anyone having been there at all. K

The alarm bells began to ring even louder in the older man's ears.

Slowing his shuffled steps, L repeated the same process with his two son's other rooms, finding both to be as empty as Nate's. Checking his watch, L blinked down at the time, quite sure he wasn't hallucinating just yet.

With nothing to go on, L only had one last place to look.

Wide dark eyes narrowed as the older man silently straightened his back and wearily glanced at both his and Raito's door. A pale hand gripped the knob as L carefully twisted it to the right, opening the door with as much trepidation as possible.

L was met with nothing more than silence and a completely empty room.

A perplexed expression overcame the older man's face as he took in the rather large master bedroom, neither hide nor hair of his lover appearing forthright. Hand still on the knob, the older man took a small step forward, eyes scanning every speck of space within both his and Raito's bedroom-

_Click_.

When the steely feel of cold metal met the back of the pale architect's neck, pressing itself almost intimately against L's skin.

"You look lost…"

L almost flinched at the slithery calm voice invading his ears, the recognizable tone of faux-tranquility taking him almost completely off-guard as he relinquished his normally slightly slouched position and stood ramrod-straight.

"Or maybe you're just looking for something?"

The hidden smirk behind the man's voice was loud and clear, letting L know that he knew something that L himself didn't.

This was _not good._

The beginnings of anxiousness that had first formed when the gangly architect had walked into his nearly empty home evolved into heavy tendrils of panic, overriding every other emotion building up within the back of L's mind.

"Hm… you're not answering, Lawliet…"

"I didn't think you wished for me to do so." L answered slowly as the cold barrel of the gun held against the back of his neck lowered just a fraction, though that did little to calm the growing tendrils of anxiety eating at the 31-year-old's insides. "What have you done to my family, B?"

The obscured man gave a snorting laugh as the gun was once again pressed against L's neck once more, the deranged giggle echoing within the empty room as L fought the urge to clench his fists.

"Your family, L? Those people weren't your family…" The man chuckled once again as the gun was lowered completely, making L more frightened internally than relieved. "Aren't you done playing pretend now?"

L said nothing as he refused to turn around, eyes closing in veiled anger.

"_What have you done to my family?" _

At the reiterated question, the severity of the situation seemed to weigh all the more heavily in L's mind as a million thoughts ran through his psyche all at once. Unanswered questions, unforeseen situations and irrevocably gruesome scenes seemed to re-play through the cinematic screen within his mind as L tried to calm himself and focus on the situation at hand.

"I killed them."

L felt his heart drop to his feet at the words.

"First, I started with the three boys…"

'No…'

"The big-mouth blonde seemed to be the most excitable about dying…"

'Stop it…'

"So I was good enough to shut him up first."

'Stop talking… stop talking… stop talking…'

"Then the redhead got in the way. Let me tell you, he was a feisty one too-"

'Why won't you stop talking…?'

"But a bullet hole to the head'll pretty much shut anybody up."

'Oh God, my children…'

"Then there was the quiet little bastard… kind of reminded me of you, actually."

'Mihael… Mail…'

"He was extra fun to get rid of, ya know. Barely even made a squeak as I popped one right in his face and chest."

'Nate…'

"But you know who I had the _most _fun with?"

'Oh God, no.'

"Please, stop…" Came the uncharacteristically subdued voice as L lowered his head, eyes beginning to shimmer with unshed tears. "I can't…"

"He was so pretty, Lawliet. Where did you get him by the way?" A cold hand ruffled L's hair as he stumbled away from the touch, not willing to look at the man now standing barely a couple feet away from him. "Maybe I'll get one for myself, huh? He looked like he was _quite _the boy-toy."

"Don't. You. Dare…" L felt his hands begin to shake as the carbon copy of himself slouched forward, smirking out of the corner of the architect's eye. "Where are they and what have you done to them?"

"I just told you…" B swung the gun within his hands rather playfully, the small grin perched upon his face dripping with maliciousness. "They are gone…"

"Really?" L stalled for a moment, taking in the man's presence. "Then where is the blood that is supposed to be on your clothes?"

B's grin stretched out even further across his face as he faced his former lover completely, shaggy obsidian locks overrunning his macabre gaze.

"Caught me."

Staring eye to eye in front of the man who had caused his significant other to be hospitalized and almost completely brain-dead all those months, L could only imagine the terror Raito must have felt at having to look this man in the face; seeing only a barrel of a gun and feeling only the stinging cold behind his own neck that the brunette had admitted to remembering most vividly.

The urge to find his lover grew all the more unbearable.

"Those little brats managed to get out of here before I could get my hands on them," B yawned as he kept a careless hold over the gun still held within his hand. "Lucky for them, too. But your little boyfriend, however, really wasn't so lucky Law-liet… Really, you should take better care of your things than that!"

L kept quiet as B took another step towards his direction, smile still completely intact.

"He really was pretty, L…"

* * *

"Ngh…"

Raito hazily blinked as he coughed, specks of red falling from his lips as an unimaginable pain erupted from all of sides of his body. His face felt unbearably numb as a horrible ache resonated from the back of the 24-year-old's cranium, wincing as a lifted a hand and felt the split with his bruised fingers clinging with coagulating blood.

The pools of the dark brown substance were now drying underneath his cut up torso and legs, feeling itchy against the lawyer's skin and only amplifying the throbbing bursts of pain pounding against both his head and his limbs.

The familiar slight darkness of his own basement met Raito's disoriented gaze as he attempted to carefully sit up-

"Fuck!"

Only to then fall back with a grimace of pain. His abdomen absolutely felt on fire, as Raito attempted to catch his breath. The hitching in his breathing alerted him to his lungs and ribs, which felt… off. Slowly brushing his fingertips down his sides, the uneven feel of his bones made him slightly sick to the auburn-haired man's stomach.

Carefully lifting himself up with one arm over his torso and the other leaning against the floor in support, Raito ignored the stabbing pain cutting both his legs and midsection and slowly got to his feet. The feeling of light-headedness caught the beaten-up young man off-guard for a moment before stumbling back in an attempt to regain his poor balance.

'L…'

With a strain that Raito was quite sure he had never felt before in his life, Raito took one small step towards the stairs towering over him, already feeling the pain before even trying.

'I won't let him get you too.'

* * *

"I don't think you'll find him so pretty anymore, though…"

L lowered his head, not able to even look up into those maniacal eyes so full of morbid glee.

"What do you want with me?"

B smiled once more, this grin much more sinister than the last.

* * *

Raito cringed as the door opened with a slight creak, causing him to practically dive headfirst onto the ceramic tiling of their home. With leaded feet and an equally throbbing head, Raito held onto the knob connected to the door. The kitchen was practically pristine, except for a slight smudge of red against the counter and a bright red cloth hanging off the edge of the sink…

'Bastard.' Raito thought in a daze as moved his hand from the door to the wall, keeping himself as steady as possible. As the exhausted young man slumped his way out of the kitchen, mumblings of not one but _two _voices along with the reverberating creeks echoing against the ceiling began to resonate from the stairs in front of him, alerting Raito of another presence within his home.

'Oh God no…'

The thrum of adrenaline began to pump arduously through Raito's veins as he concentrated solely on the sounds and the pounding of feet becoming surreptitiously louder than before.

* * *

"What _don't _I want to do with you, would be the better question…" B slithered as he crept even closer to the almost twin-like man across from him. "How long do you think we have before those kids of yours come back with their cute old grandpa…?"

L didn't even twitch as he stared at a spot just above the deranged stalker's head, paying attention to the words without seeming to.

"Or how much time do you think your little lover-boy has before the blood loss becomes a _little_ too much?"

Once again, L felt his insides tighten as he tried to outthink his way out of this situation without becoming too hurt in the process. B was still too far away to subdue with force, and tackling him would only spurt an even more dangerous situation with that handgun still hanging off his fingers. Of course, if L managed to time it just right…

* * *

Deep halted breaths enveloped the hallway as Raito practically heaved himself up the last step, the piercing stabs of pain beginning to heavily burn against his side and chest. Molten amber eyes watered as the man gripped the wall, the words now becoming audible outside the hallway.

"_I don't think you'll find him so pretty anymore, though…"_

Raito inwardly gagged at the condescending whisper resonating from the open door down the hallway, the throbbing anger clogging up his throat as his fist clenched against the wall.

"_What do you want with me?" _

The bedraggled auburn-haired man held his breath as h listened to the rest of the conversation, making sure to keep his steps as silent as possible. Now that he was sure that L was in that room with that psycho…

"_What don't I want to do with you, would be the better question… How long do you think we have before those kids of yours come back with their cute old grandpa…?"_

Raito pressed himself up against the wall, sneering at the implication. His head felt as if he were swimming underneath water and had yet to pull up for air. His body was bruised and battered beyond belief, along with the streams of blood still dripping off from the multiple stinging cuts decorating his face and torso, and his chest felt as if it were on fire, but Raito would be _damned_ if a man like this threatened the person he not only shared his life with, but was willing to die for.

You only got a person who made you feel so _free _once, maybe twice in a lifetime.

"_Or how much time do you think your little lover-boy has before the blood loss becomes a __**little**__ too much?" _

The 24-year-old sighed as he readied himself, counting down internally from five to one.

What he was about to do…

Was going to hurt like fuck.

* * *

Later on, both men would only remember a massive blur of bodies and bullets once the thrum of adrenaline and rushing of blood had finally calmed.

Though in truth, it had been a bit more complex than just that.

L felt his muscles tense for a moment, readying to spring forward as B looked off towards the door in suspiciousness. Before either man could react, a blur of white, red and mahogany brown came rushing through the open door, aiming solely at the man still gripping onto the gun.

It took barely a handful of seconds for B to pull the trigger.

It took even less for Raito to punch him in the face.

By the time L had come out of his self-induced shock, B had managed to kick Raito in the ribs, which erupted a barrage of sharp wheezing along with more blood being spilt out of the younger man's mouth. Stumbling off the L look-alike, Raito felt his eyes widened as the barrel of the gun was shoved into his face, bringing back sensations long forgotten.

_**Cold.**_

_**Everything was cold.**_

Consciousness lost, Raito could only stare as B once again began to pull the trigger.

_**And wet.**_

_**Sticky and wet.**_

_**Why couldn't he see?**_

_**Why was it so…**_

"RAITO!"

_**Cold?**_

Blood seeped onto his hands as Raito blinked.

"Raito…"

Raito didn't hear B drop the gun.

"I…"

The caramel colored gaze watered as L slumped over his lap, white shirt completely staining red.

"You idiot." Raito rasped as the echoing footsteps stumbled back before running out of the room. "You fucking idiot."

L smiled as his hand clenched his chest.

"But I am Raito-kun's idiot… so that makes it alright."

Neither man flinched as the sounds of screams and whirling sirens echoed from outside, both too caught up in the other gazes as the pools of blood surrounding them only grew in vigor.

"Daddy?! Are you ok?! What's going on?!"

"Dad?!"

"Father?!"

"L?! Raito?!"

The chorus of voices faded into the familiar darkness both L and Raito knew so well as both men leaned back against each other and shut their eyes.

Fate had never been truly kind to them until now.

* * *

_Unavoidable: Inevitable _

* * *

"Raito-kun?"

The 21-year-old college student nearly dropped the pieces of paper within his hands as he cautiously looked up into his lover's eyes.

"What…" L moved from his spot on the couch and crouched closer to the boy who seemed to be in another world, tears brimming from the corners of his eyes. "What has Raito-kun so distressed about the letter?"

"You really want to know?" Raito asked hesitantly, placing the pieces of paper upon the table as he did so.

"No." The dark-haired professor answered easily enough, shifting his feet on top of the cushions of the couch as L squelched his toes against the rough leathery fabric. "But I do not wish to be oblivious to Raito-kun's obvious distress in concerns to me either. So I suppose I have no other choice than to read the letter alongside Raito-kun."

"I don't think you should read it if it's just because of me." Raito whispered as he leaned back against the couch, shutting his cinnamon-brown eyes in exhaustion. "If you don't want to read it, then don't."

"Raito-kun does not have to get snippy." L felt his lips pull into a frown as Raito turned away from him, almond shaped eyes still glistening mysteriously as they snapped open into a strictly narrow glare. "I… suppose that the letter has something that Raito-kun wishes that I read if he is purposely goading me to read it."

Raito said nothing more as he locked sights with his lover, silently conveying the message with just his eyes. With trembling hands (though L would never admit that his hands were _trembling_, per se) the older man gently picked up what looked to be a letter and lifted it to his own gaze, giving Raito one last glance before turning his attention back to the pristine paper between his pale fingers.

At the first line, L already felt the headache thrumming against his temples intensify in anticipation.

* * *

_**To my one and only son, Lawliet…**_

_**I'm so sorry.**_

_**I know that's probably the last thing you ever expected to hear from me, but it's all I can think of to say at the moment, Lawliet. You probably don't believe me, since you gained all the cynicism that I once held so dear close to your own chest as well. But I am, son. I truly from the bottom of my heart am sorry. **_

_**You must be wondering what an old man like me is doing reminiscing about things he can't change and apologizing for things that he can never truly make amends for. It would be so cliché to say that after years and years of ruthless abandonment, that now would be the time for regret. I want to say that I'm truly seeing the light now after so long of dismissing both you and your mother…**_

_**But that would be a lie.**_

_**I know you won't be here for my dying day but this truth has to be set free. I continuously lied to you and your mother and left you both without any sort of real reason to cling to as I walked out of both of your lives. I think in the end, your mother understood, even if she refused to acknowledge she did so. And in that, I only have myself to blame as well. **_

_**It's why I went to her funeral and tortured myself with the sight of her dead body. **_

_**It's why I watched you both silently over the years and secretly funded your schooling when you refused to come to me. **_

_**It's why I'm writing this letter, hoping that for at least one moment, you'll find it within yourself to not feel that unerring hate that no doubt thrives within you to this day. **_

_**I didn't wish to leave either of you. You may not believe it, but it is true. I tried my very hardest to keep us together; to keep your mother and I's marriage together, in hopes of one day breaking apart from my own family, which seemed destined to abhor both you and your mother's existence. **_

_**You do not remember, as you were still but a baby, yet I can still see the fresh tears clinging to your mother's eyes as she was constantly rejected by my parents and siblings. The silent sobs that would shake her body at night as the cruel words and ugly looks burned her down to her core, leaving nothing but a shell of who your mother once was.**_

_**I did not realize just how much the taunts and horrid looks continually affected her until one day I found her… doing horrible things to herself. I do not wish to say, but it sickens me to this day to remember just what it was I found her doing within that bathroom. In that moment, as I held her sobbing form close to my chest, I knew that I could not subject her to this for the rest of her life. **_

_**Not when both she and our son deserved so much better. **_

_**It killed me to leave the both of you, especially on such horrible terms, but I knew of no other way to let Mikomi go without her chasing after me. Your mother was an indomitable spirit despite her hidden soft interior and refused to let anyone tell her she couldn't do something or fight for what she believed in. Mikomi defied all odds and punished herself in order to get what she wanted at all costs much like yourself Lawliet. But I couldn't watch her suffer anymore; not for someone like myself who never even deserved such devotion to begin with. **_

_**So I threw in the towel and gave into the pressure, knowing that both of you would hate me all the more for it. Yet it was a small price to pay to not have to watch my wife slowly wither away at the hands of my 'family'. I would gladly have you hate me if it meant being able to bring your mother back and giving her the happiness she truly deserved, even if it was with another. **_

_**That day in her funeral when you spoke so harshly to me, it was then that I realized that I had doomed her from the start, and your hatred was completely founded in so many ways. Lawliet, you must realize that though I have done many horrible things in my life; though I will continue to do so many horrible things until my dying day, I have never for one moment stopped loving either you or your mother…**_

_**And this ring… the ring your mother gave to me the day I gave her that matching necklace she kept so close to her heart… is testament of this fact. I couldn't throw it away, just as I could not truly throw away the love I held for either of you. So now, if you still feel the need to hate me with every fiber of your being, hate me only for the truth. **_

_**It's the only thing I can ask of you, Lawliet. **_

_**Forever your father, even if not wanted-**_

_**Lawliet L Sr.**_

* * *

L stared down at the crisp papers within his hand, the neat creases the only flaw against the smooth planes of creamy white and scrawling of black ink. The impulse to destroy such faux perfection weighed heavily on the professor's mind before he simply let the fragile pieces of paper fall from his fingers, dark eyes finding their way back to the angelic looking brunette who stared at him with enquiring eyes.

"It makes no difference to me." L stated before standing up and shoving the necklace now threaded around his wrist into his pocket. "This does not change anything, Raito-kun."

"Doesn't it?" The now soft-spoken student countered, knowing that underneath the calm façade lay a man who honestly did not know just how to deal with the information he had then now been given. "I mean, if he's telling the truth…"

"He was a complete idiot who thought leaving his family would be better than trying to hold onto what we could have been." The beginnings of L's outer calm began to crack as his ebony eyes narrowed, voice tinged with bitterness. "That man was a spoiled child that could not let go of his money long enough to actually see that my mother and I could have been more than a sufficient replacement for his supposedly horrid parents and siblings…"

"I think it sounds a bit more complicated than that, L." Raito felt the hostility pouring out of his lover's gaze as he attempted to defend a man he did not even know. But the brunette knew this was not about L's father; at least, not completely. "I just think that if you tried to talk to him, maybe you'll be able to find out just a bit more about yourself and maybe even your mother. He obvious knows things that could give you some closure, and damn it, L, whether you want to admit it or not, he's your goddamn fathe-"

"I will ask Raito-kun now to halt in his attempt to connect myself to that man in any way, shape or form." Came the suddenly deathly quiet voice, pale face hidden beneath a curtain of charcoal hair. "He is and has always been nothing to me."

Raito sighed before standing up, knowing when to stop before things got too far. As he stretched his arms up into the air, obsidian orbs finally caught his attention, locking the 21-year-old into another age-old staring contest that he honestly did not wish to be a part of.

"You're going to regret not speaking with him." Raito finally whispered before letting his appendages fall to his side. "Even more so than if you _did_ speak with him. Remember that, L. Don't make the same mistakes he made."

L said nothing as Raito grabbed his coat and left the dark-haired professor to his own thoughts, knowing that trying to get the older man to speak at this point would be null and void.

Dark eyes closed as L huddled his knees closer to his chest, laying his head down against the pulled up joints.

'What am I supposed to do?'

* * *

"_It's not about fighting for what we think is right…" _

_L stared up at his mother as she smiled, eyes bright against the backdrop of the setting sun hitting their open window. _

"_It's about what we can do with what's wrong in this world; how we can change and become something entirely new." _

_The small boy smiled as his mother finished putting the last dish in the cabinet, drying her diminutive hands with the small towel lying next to her. _

"_But then again, I suppose it's easy to say pretty things you think that people want to hear, Lawliet." _

_Laying her soft palm down against the minute boy's head, L closed his eyes and held onto the warmth of his mother's supple skin against his own. _

"_It's when you have to stand up and __**prove**__ such things that you realize just what it takes to actually live your life. Something I learned the hard way, mind you." _

_The small child blinked as his mother's voice seemed to echo within his ears uncomfortably, eyes completely out of focus as he attempted to catch a glimpse at her now blurry face. _

"_Promise me you won't doubt yourself, Lawliet. Not now, not ever…" _

* * *

Raito grumbled to himself as the sound of his home phone awoke him from his land of dreams, wondering why the world seemed so against letting him get at least one full night of sleep.

Staring up at the bland white ceiling of his new apartment, the brunette's eyebrow twitched at the erupting clash of rings against the peaceful silence that had at one time completely settled over his apartment.

'Who could be calling at this hour?' Raito thought sardonically to himself as he pulled himself out of bed and slumped over to the phone which lay on his desk, barely charged. 'It's not like I have some overly-possessive older boyfriend who doesn't know that nighttime is for **sleep**… Oh wait! I do!'

"Hello?" Raito groggily answered, raking a hand through his disheveled locks as he did so.

"Raito-kun…" L voice seemed to stagger on the phone as his usually vague monotone slipped from the owner's tone. "I must ask you a very dire question that must be answered promptly."

"Yes?" The normally snappy brunette caught himself before he could say something derogatory; the feeling of helplessness within his lover's voice conveyed discreetly by the low lilt within L's tone of voice. "What is it, L?"

"… How does Raito-kun feel about England this time of year?"

The 21-year-old nearly dropped the phone in shock before a small grin quirked up the sides of his lips.

"I guess it depends on the occasion, now doesn't it…"

And Raito knew in that one moment that this was just one more battle he had won in the never-ending war that came with courting L Lawliet.

Not that he minded.

Not one bit.

* * *

50. _Inevitable: Incapable of being prevented or evaded._

* * *

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

"Raito-kun has already informed me of this, thank you."

"Don't worry, I'm just re-affirming the fact. I already am quite sure I've let you know of your asshole-status before this."

"Of course, Raito-kun, of course."

"… … Asshole."

L sighed as he looked away from the computer in front of him, chain jingling in the process. "Is Raito-kun still upset about the other night?"

Raito pouted adorably. (To L, anyway)

Raito himself would more or less call it a scornful scowl.

L let the boy believe whatever it is he wanted to as long as it got him to shut up for more than five seconds at a time.

"What do you think, you ass?"

"It is not as if I did anything I wouldn't have normally had done, Raito-kun." The dark-haired detective replied innocent, twirling the lollipop within his mouth to hide the semi-smirk threatening to split between his lips.

"You surprised attacked me with the camera's still on!" Teenage prodigy Raito definitely was, but when it came to reigning in his temper, he definitely needed more efficiency. At least, when it came to demonic insomniacs in love with both cake and declaring themselves the sole bringer of Justice (with a capital 'J' because L was just that damn weird).

"I already told Raito-kun that I am the only one who watches these feeds-"

"And then you had us watch it together whilst forcefully tying me to the bed after slipping me a damn roofie!"

"… … … Did Raito-kun not enjoy that part?"

The venomous glare set on Raito's face gave away his answer plain and clear.

"Enjoy which part, L? Do you mean the part where I got rope burn on my arms and chest, or the part where Watari walked in on us whilst we were both still in the middle of our 'session'? Or how about how I threw up all over you and you STILL wanted to have sex with me?!"

"Raito-kun can be very persuasive when he wants to be." L nodded as he absently crunched into his lollipop. "Especially when he is lacking in comprehension and can barely understand a word that is being said to him and likewise."

Raito stared.

"You… are sick in so many ways." The younger of the two proclaimed before flopping onto the bed, back facing his arch-nemesis/really-kinky-lover.

"And yet Raito-kun sleeps with me anyway." The panda-eyed detective hummed as he felt more than saw the glare shot at him before the bed shifted once more.

The clicking of keys once again enveloped the silence of the room as Raito felt his lips twitch upwards. Yes, L was a weird pervert who honestly had no social decency whatsoever. Yes, Raito was quite possibly the most neurotic and overly obsessive-compulsive teenage nervous wreck just waiting to happen. But somehow, that worked for them.

"Chances of Raito-kun being Kira after directly challenging my authority and insulting both my interests and mental state of mind, 46 percent."

Raito felt his eye tick in irritation.

Or maybe not.

Who knew what tomorrow had to tell, after all.

Especially when strangling the person you were tied to was oh-so-tempting…

_**PILLOW SLAM!**_

Raito sighed as he snuggled within the blankets once more, smirking at the visual image of the lump now resting on top of his lover's head along with the broken laptop now sprawled out against the floor.

Yes, things had been destined to be a runaround for the both of them from the start.

* * *

Disclaimer: My one and only disclaimer for this entire fic. No, I don't own Death Note. XP

In lieu of the breaking of chapters within this chapter, I think an AN for each universe is in order before some of you attempt to string me on a line. Yay.

1st One-shot (Orphan A/U): Before anyone goes 'But that didn't really conclude anything!', there is a reason for. The orphan universe is more complex than this series of drabbles actually suggests, and you don't really feel the impact from the changes of characterization in the small snippets of this story that I give you. I may write a full-length story based on the orphan universe in the future, but for right now, I just don't have the time to really develop a storyline like that... which kind of makes me sad, but still. Truth hurts. Lol!

2nd One-shot (Artist A/U): All of you should know why I left it as such a cliffhanger, as most of the people who read this story have read 'Discordant Harmony' (and should totally check out the sequel, 'The Fundamentals of Family', out right now! ((shameless plug))). You are getting a small peak at the conflict of that story if you know where to look, so check out for that as well. Yay for this universe!

3rd One-shot: (Coma A/U): I've left so much open for interpretation in this universe, it kind of kills me inside. Lol! I think this series is going to stay a one-shot series, but if I do do another collection of one-shots or decide to continue this one once again, I wouldn't be opposed to continuing on with this universe that way. Did BB get caught? How badly are Raito and L hurt? How did the police get there so fast? What did B actually do to Raito? The kids, what about the kids?! Lol! I'm so mean.

4th One-shot: (Professor A/U): I love this universe. I have always loved this universe. I don't think I could ever be able to STOP loving this universe. The first universe I decided to continue on, which grew only made it grow on me even more. Yay. XD This is one that also is ended ambiguiously, but once again, there is a reason for that. I am in debate on whether in the future I want to write a story beginning from when they met, or sometime after their relationship begins and expanding from there, or just writing a super long one-shot about what happens once they get to England and what the hell happens there. Right now, I'm more leaning towards the one-shot. Lol!

Whoo! For the last one-shot, I don't think a note is necessary. Though it is an extension of another one-shot within this series... hm. That actually gives me an idea. The first person to tell me what chapter the last one-shot is connected to will get a one-shot dedicated to their name (and can choose the premise as well, as long as it is not a part of any of these universes!). I want to see how many people caught the hints I placed within the last one-shot and if anyone can remember that far back! ((hint))

Have you guys gotten the connection the one-shots have altogether, though? If you haven't... I think the words I used in this chapter hammer it down heavy enough for you. Lol! Many thank you's to Kitsune55 for beta-ing despite her super-busy-ness. She's that awesome people (though I've said that before, so if you haven't caught the hint yet, catch it now. XD), and I hope you enjoyed the end of the my first piece of work within the DN fandom. ((sniffles)) I'm fine... just fine... Just give me a second.. ((bawls)) Thanks for reading!


	51. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE BIATCHES!**

DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION YET?

Goodie. ^.^

Now, there has been some very stringent nastiness going around FFdotnet this past year and it has been, luckily enough, tossed my way before any damage could be done to me. I've spoken about this in plenty of author's notes but I suppose this is the real deal.

I have created a livejournal account (OMG MY SWORN NEMESIS NOOOESSSS!) and have decided to discontinue my FFdotnet account. All of my work will be transferred to my livejournal and future updates shall be continued there once I am settled in and everything has been moved. I will not delete my account but I will also not re-make it should it be deleted by personnel within the website and douches working with them.

Various readers have been reporting stories and authors due to what they feel is 'disturbing' or 'overly mature' content that should not be shared on FFdotnet. I have done my own part to try to stifle down the onslaught of assholes making it harder for the rest of us fanfic writers but I also am not going to let someone demolish my work simply because they do not like it. It's not what I stand for and I am not someone who takes such things lying down peacefully. Please, if you know of such people contact other writers, contact FFdotnet workers via the links provided overhead and don't let such people censor whatever it is they want to based on their own personal opinion and no one else's. Discrimination should never be tolerated, especially when it comes to the basis of stories which don't have to be read if the reader feels they do not want to, whether the content be 'disturbing' or not. :-P

The link to my livejournal is on my profile page. If anything is to happen to said profile page just type 'hari_aisu' in the livejournal search; you'll find me if you look for me. :)

Once again, I thank you guys for all the support you've given me on this site. If you wish to contact me you can still PM me; I will still answer any and all review/messages/emails and my aim is still the same. I hope all of my readers continue to follow me, whether you have a livejournal or not.

So in classic Hari-Aisu flourish-

THANKS YOU GUYS. YOU KNOW MAMA LOVES YOU LOOOOOOOONG TIIIIMMMMEEEEE! XD


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